Persisting in the DEAD
by LeTeiiEscribe
Summary: (SYOC) What would you do if life went to shit? If the whole world was suddenly turned upside down and you were alone on a planet of pain, destruction and death? Well, it's already happening. In this existence, there is no right or wrong, and as young adults, the current generation must fight for their lives. The question is… Who will really survive?
1. Prologue

**Persisting in the DEAD – Prologue**

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**What would you do if life went to shit?**

**If the whole world was suddenly turned upside down and you were alone on a planet of pain, destruction and death?**

**Well, it's already happening. In this existence, there is no right or wrong, and as young adults, the current generation must fight for their lives. The question is…**

**Who will really survive?**

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If someone has ever told you that England has nice weather, they are lying to you; at least eleven months out of the year it's raining, damp and cold.

For the rest of the world, the rain is depressing, it always used in stories and films for when something sad is happening or something wrong.

But that's never the truth…

This is a real story.

Where the weather has no impact on events in the real world.

A story that starts off with a pristine day, with blue skies, sunshine and delicate little birds flying from tree to tree. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and for England in mid-May, even that was a miracle!

Days like that only come once in a blue moon, and in England, everyone is to make the most of it.

The short get busted out, the barbeques of set alight and people gather in the commons ready for social interaction.

The day was going on as it normally would, unfortunately being a Monday meant that not everyone could enjoy themselves.

Children were going to school preparing for their futures, and adults going to work, some enjoying the hours they put in and others no so much, as many were slaving away in jobs they didn't enjoy. University students were forcing themselves awake and dressed or sleeping off hangovers from the previous Sunday night of drinking, and some were commuting the long distance to the campus hours before their classes started while others were dragging their feet from their dorms to their classrooms barely making it on time.

This is how most days would pass…

Whether it was raining or not…

But with the sun shining you would think that the day would be joyous, fun and full of love…

However, it would be anything but that.

Fires would rage, blood would be spilt, and the death of millions of people would fill the streets.

All on a day with no rain.

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**SYOC CLOSED ~ As of May 21 2019**

So, this is an old story I did back on my old account, but I definitely wasn't happy with it so I'm redoing it now that I have some free time. It will follow along similar lines it did previously however with a new title, new chapters and with completely new characters. I hope you guys will like it!

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**First, my rules:**

Only one character each – I don't want to get bombarded

1) Please send characters to me via PM with "PERSISTING IN THE DEAD – Character Name" as the topic

2) No OP characters and no Mary or John Sues - whatever they are called.

3) Be realist, give your characters real-life problems!

4) NO OCs YOUNGER THAN 18 – This is due to how the story will progress ^^ wink, wink

5) DUE TO THE ABOVE POINT ALL CHARACTERS ARE IN UNIVERSITY, WORKING, OR BUMMING AROUND AT HOME YOU PICK

6) ALSO SET IN ENGLAND SO FIND A WAY TO GET YOUR CHARACTERS THERE

7) I do have a character limit but let's keep that a secret.

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**OC FORM – please and thank you**

Character's full name (Include middle name/s):

Character's nickname:

Birthdate:

Age: (18+)

How old does he/she appear?

Gender/Sex:

Education/Occupation: (Working or university - state what job or what course they study too)

If at University do they commute or live in the dorms:

Sexuality: (BE AS RANDOM AS YOU WANT)

Sexual Stage and Experience: (E.G. if gay or bi are they out the closet etc?)

Religion:

Weight: (lbs)

Height: (Ft and inches)

Body build:

The shape of the face:

Eye colour:

Glasses or contacts:

Skin Tone:

Distinguishing marks:

Hair colour:

Type of hair:

Hairstyle:

Voice: (GIVE AN ACTOR/ VOICE ACTOR)

Overall attractiveness (OUT OF 10):

Physical/Mental disabilities:

Outfit:

Jewellery or accessories:

**PERSONALITY**

Good personality traits:

Bad personality traits:

Mood character is most often in:

Sense of humour:

Character's greatest joy in life:

Character's greatest fear:

What single event would most throw this character's life into complete turmoil:

Character is most at ease when:

Most ill at ease when:

Enraged when:

Depressed or sad when:

Priorities:

Character's soft spot:

Is this soft spot obvious to others?

Greatest strength:

Greatest vulnerability or weakness:

Biggest regret in life:

Biggest accomplishment:

Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about:

Character's darkest secret:

**GOALS**

Drives and motivations:

Immediate goals:

Long term goals:

**FACTS**

Hometown:

How/why are they in England:

Type of childhood:

First memory:

Most important childhood memory:

Current location:

Currently living with:

Pets:

**STATS (****EACH OUT OF TEN BUT MUST TOTAL TO 45 POINTS****)**

Strength:

Agility:

Dexterity:

Flexibility:

Stamina:

Intelligence:

Stealth:

**FAMILY**

Parent 1:

Relationship with them:

Parent 2:

Relationship with them:

Siblings:

Relationship with them:

Spouse/Partner:

Relationship with him/her:

Family background information:

**FAVOURITES**

Colour:

Music:

Food:

Literature:

Form of entertainment:

Expressions:

Mode of transportation:

Most prized possession:

**HABITS**

Hobbies:

Musical instrument:

Sport:

How he/she would spend a rainy day:

Spending habits:

Smokes:

Drinks:

Other drugs:

Extremely skilled at:

Extremely unskilled at:

Nervous tics:

Usual body posture:

Mannerisms:

Peculiarities:

**TRAITS**

Optimist or pessimist?

Introvert or extrovert?

Daredevil or cautious?

Logical or emotional?

Prefers working or relaxing?

Confident or unsure of himself/herself?

Animal lover?

**SELF-PERCEPTION**

How they feel about themselves:

One word the character would use to describe self:

What does the character consider his/her best personality trait?

What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait?

What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic?

What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic?

How does the character think others perceive him/her?

What would the character most like to change about himself/herself?

**RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS**

Their opinion of other people in general:

Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others?

Person character most hates:

Best friend type:

Love interest type:

Type of person they feel shy or awkward around:

The most important person in character's life before story starts:

**OTHER**

Their first reaction to the apocalypse:

Weapon of choice: (BE REALISTIC PEOPLE WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE AS A WEAPON WHEN YOUR STUFF IN A CLASSROOM)


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

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_Beep, beep, beep, beep._

The constant sounds from the tills echoed tiresomely, though they were almost completely drowned out by the current lunchtime rush. All kinds of people were out and about, as it was a sunny day in the middle of London. Students were rushing to grab a cheap meal deal before their next set of classes began, parents were chasing their young children about, trying to keep them under control, tourists were walking around taking photos of anything and everything, and the average people who worked an everyday shift were enjoying the sun before they went back to their boring jobs.

For England, a day without rain was really a miracle that only ever came around once every few months, sometimes even years. It brought a sense of peace and hope to the communities, as it was something they rarely experienced just like snow at Christmas. People would try everything to get out into the warm world, booking sneaky sick days off work or skiving school just so they could spend the day outside.

Unfortunately, not everyone got the chance to run around outside. Many people still had to work, without the chance of having their lunch for another few hours. Working through the break and in the intense heat, making sure others could have their food and drinks before their own. Drake was one of these people, a young man who worked at a large ASDA in the centre of London near the local University.

The young man sighed with annoyance, slouching in the seat at his cash register, as he was getting rather impatient with the person he was currently serving. They were taking a very long time to find and count the change in their wallet to pay for a packet of custard doughnuts, Drake ran a hand through his black hair messing it up yet returning the locks back to their usual style within seconds.

In the end, the customer had given him £1.10 in five and ten pennies. Drake wondered why customers like this couldn't go through the self-checkout, it would make his job ten times easier.

As the custard doughnuts customer left Drake rapidly started scanning the next load of ASDA products that had queued up, determined to clear his queue as fast as he could. He finished scanning the last few items in record time, pressing the buttons on his till to bring up the total, "That's £56.87."

The customers were a set of young parents, who were arguing about something Drake really didn't care about, they were ignoring both him and their children, letting them run riot around the trolley. It pissed him off, as he hated it when people couldn't control their kids.

Drake cleared his throat angrily, trying to gain their attention, "Excuse me, £56.87."

The woman turned sharply, her bleached blonde hair flying in a mess over her shoulders, "Yeah, yeah, fine, get the card reader ready then."

With a harsh tap on his till, the card reader glowed coming to life and the mother began to pay. He took a quick look to the left at the queue that had formed at his till, thankfully, it wasn't as long as he thought.

Dark green eyes scanned each person carefully, yet barely making contact.

He could tell that the next few customers were from the local university, there was around four of them waiting in line, the first few talking and laughing loudly to one another.

Despite there being many items present, it was obvious only one of the students was doing the paying; as there were no dividers through the mass amounts of food.

The receipt machine chugged away as the mother removed her card and turned back to her partner, yelling at him to control the children. Drake ripped the paper off and held it out for the couple, who were now picking up their children and putting them into the trolley completely ignoring him. He bit his tongue holding in his anger, "Here's your receipt, enjoy your day."

He continued to glare at the young couple, holding in his anger when they refused to take the small slip of paper and were only interested in finishing their argument. They dumped their bags heavily into the trolley and strut from the store, children screaming.

It was completely unbelievable that people like them could become parents, the future of humanity was indeed doomed.

Drake started scanning the new items as the students came forth, three of them walked straight passed him and left a singular guy yelling after them in a language that was not English.

One of the group yelled noisily, "¡Amigo, tienes que pagar por ello!"

"¡Sí, bueno, jódete tú también!" The guy standing at his till called after them with a pout, yet his friends only continued to laugh as they sprinted further away. A chuckle escaped the customer's throat and he started to pack all the food and drinks in a green bag for life while the rest was being scanned.

Upon closer look Drake noticed that the man before him was honest to god his complete opposite, having ash blonde hair contrasted to his own deep black locks and a face that just screamed happiness and smiles while his emitted boredom. Even his clothes were bright, he was in a candy floss coloured shirt and royal blue jeans, blinding compared to Drake's green and black ASDA uniform.

The blonde grinned at him and leaned on the side of the cash register, eyeing up Drake, noticing and enjoying his irritation. There was a thick Scottish accent when the blonde spoke, surprising Drake as earlier there was no sign of it, "why so glum? I would have thought that seeing someone as beautiful as me would have brightened up your day."

"Huh?" Drake glowered up into the grey eyes staring back at him, he stopped scanning and waited for a reply.

There was a light snicker and the Scotsman returned to packing up his food, "dude, I'm messing with you. Cheer up."

Drake decided it would be best to ignore him and finished scanning the sandwiches and numerous packets of crisps, once all the items were scanned, he brought up the total price and huffed, "£16.12."

The blonde rummaged through the royal blue jeans to find his wallet, once found he pulled out his card and used the contactless card reader to make the payment. The brightly dressed man grabbed his shopping and put his wallet away. He then straightened and turned to leave, however, looked back and gave a cheeky wink to Drake, "See you around, Mr Stick up the Butt."

"Go fuck yourself," Drake mumbled.

"Ah, my dear human, ask me again when we know each other a little bit better." He grinned and walked off with a final wave to Drake, "name's Seth by the way, bye, bye mi amor."

He watched as Seth met up with his friends, laughing loudly and returning to the same language they spoke in earlier. In all his time in London, Drake had never directly met someone so open and flamboyant before, that and he had never wanted to punch a random stranger so much. He didn't give a second thought to Seth as he disappeared from the store, his next customer was already patiently waiting for him to start scanning their items.

It was another young man, though one who was alone this time, he was significantly shorter than the previous, meaning they were also much more petite than himself.

Rivalled to Seth's lively and bubbly personality, this boy was on the other end of the spectrum as he was the embodiment of everything dark and depressing. His hair a deep mess that stuck up in any and every direction, yet his eyes were a bright blue.

Drake sighed, "want a bag?"

"Sure." He nodded, placing what looked like a blue violin case on the floor and reseating the large black guitar case to a more comfortable position on his back.

Drake handed a carrier bag to him and started to scan his items, unlike Seth and his friends, this boy was buying no proper food other than tonnes of sweets, chocolate, biscuits, sugary cake and full-fat drinks. He eyed the guitar case, Drake had always wondered what it would be like to play the instrument, but it was a waste of time and energy to learn. However, that didn't stop him thinking about it, he ended up looking away as the customer noticed him staring.

"You play?" He asked nonchalantly.

"No."

"Fairs." The boy bit his bottom lip, playing with his two metal piercings that adorned the area on both the right and left side. From what Drake could count the guy had at least nine piercings in his ears alone, and there was only more to add when he counted the ones on his nose and lips.

There was a soft breath from the guy, "want my ID?"

"Huh?" Drake raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

"For the vodka and Bacardi?"

Drake hadn't even noticed that there was alcohol on the till, he was too bored to even check what he was scanning properly.

On any other day, normally he wouldn't have bothered and just sold the guy the alcohol, but a quick look to his left allowed him to see his manager. The old lady was staring at him with narrow eyes, unmistakably keeping a close watch on him. Drake sighed in annoyance, it was obvious the guy didn't look over eighteen and so he was supposed to ask for proof of age, "yeah, ID."

The blue-eyed man pulled out his wallet and fished through for his driver's licence. He pulled out the pink card and gave it to Drake, despite not being interested he gave the card a quick look over. The emo guy before him was called Keith Tate and they were the same age, being twenty years old, so he was legal enough to buy alcohol. Drake nodded and handed the license back, he then finished scanning up all the items.

"£34.90 in total." Drake yawned.

"Card alright?"

With a nod Drake waited for Keith to pay, he rolled up his sleeves and fished through the wallet again this time attempting to find his debit card. Once everything was paid for Keith gathered his bags in a rush, and rather awkwardly considering the large guitar that was strapped to his back. A breath of amusement escaped Drake's throat as he handed the receipt over to the struggling Keith.

"Thanks," with nothing else to say Keith abruptly turned and walked away, beverages clanging together in the bags. He didn't get far, however, as he quickly turned on the heels of his destroyed trainers and raced back to Drake, his cheeks glowing a light red and his eyes avoiding all contact. Keith bent over and grabbed his violin case which he had previously forgotten, the bottles once again banging together as he raced away.

Drake couldn't help but laugh slightly at Keith, covering his mouth with a hand.

"Mr Owens," A voice came from behind him.

A groan escaped his throat before he could think of a proper response, he turned in his seat and came face to face with the deadly gaze of his manager.

"You sold that boy alcohol."

"I did."

"And you checked his ID?" The woman was stern, she was one of those managers that would always try and catch the employees out.

Drake ground his teeth together, "Yes, he had a fully legal driver's license, and was twenty years old. He was legal."

The manager narrowed her eyes as she slowly walked away, sceptical of Drake as she never really trusted the young man.

The rest of the day along with Drake's shift passed slowly, his break was short, and he then was moved from the cash register to stocking up the shelves, which in his opinion was better than dealing with one customer straight after another. When his nine-hour shift ended it was still light outside, British summertime was one of the only times of the year where England wasn't its cold and dreary self.

Drake gathered his belongings from the staffroom, covering the bright green shirt with a black ASDA jacket. As he walked from the store some of the other young workers gave him a wave goodbye which he returned indolently, "See you tomorrow."

But Drake would do anything to not come in tomorrow, he'd spent the last few months trying to get out of his boring routine, training for the day he could join the army and thankfully that day was only getting closer and closer.

He didn't live that far from his workplace, which saved him the journey on the London Underground which he was always thankful for. He started his usual walk home through the busy streets, which were constantly filled with sightseers no matter the time of year.

Unfortunately, the route he took would always take him past the most tourist infected area, Buckingham Palace. He hated walking through the crowds that, but it was the quickest way for him to get home. There were always people taking photos of the Palace and its famous Queen's Guard, who were known for their stoic appearance and ability to maintain a straight face. Drake weaved in and out, avoiding the line of sight of anyone taking photos or videos, he ended up walking near to the towering metal fences near the Palace, he wandered around the corner of the fence and almost walked straight into one the guards dressed in red.

Drake stopped in his tracks before he collided with the guard.

Not including the bearskin on the guard's head, Drake stood barely an inch shorter than the guard, who had for a split second glared at the young adult with his piercing blue eyes. It was a surprise to Drake that the guard spared him a look in the first place, as they normally ignore everything, especially him.

The guard appeared to be a lot older than Drake yet held this presence of authority, one he wanted to fight against it. Subconsciously, he found himself pulling the sleeves of his jacket further over his hands, hiding the runic tattoos that adorned his skin.

Not wanting to waste further time in the growing awkwardness, Drake meandered around the guard and walked away quickly, yet not without sparing a quick middle finger back in the guard's direction.

He could feel the disappointment of the guard's gaze drain into his back.

The heat from the sun continued to hammer done on the city, Drake had never been more grateful for having olive skin tone as he rarely burned. There were fewer people in the area of his home, as it belonged to a small building of flats, it was a pleasant area full of ageing people and mature students, and the rent was reasonably cheap… For London anyway.

Drake entered the complex, taking the lift at the end of the corridor to the eighth floor. It was still early in the afternoon and so many people were still at work or at school, meaning the building was relatively quiet.

He reached his own white door and let himself in, the walls of the building were not very thick and so Drake could already hear his neighbour speak in their usual soft voice. He had never really spoken to his neighbour before, yet they had bumped into one another multiple times, normally when Drake was leaving for work in the morning or if his neighbour needed to go out shopping. So, he wasn't exactly sure what is neighbour did for a living, yet he knew they would regularly talk as if they were on the phone for hours on end.

Drake dumped his bag on the floor and shut the door behind him, the apartment within the complex were all extremely small, where there were only three rooms in total: a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Still, it was enough for him and plenty of other people.

It didn't take him long to wander into his barren kitchen and cook a quick meal, well heat up as his cooking was hell and he wasn't willing to set the fire alarm off today. After the mere minutes it took him to prepare his food he stood by the counter and quickly munch his way through it, not really savouring the taste. Before he continued the rest of his evening, he took off his work clothes and replaced them with something much more comfortable, a simple black shirt and matching trousers.

As the time ticked on Drake began his usual evening routine, working out in his room, lifting weights and performing his stretches.

Around half an hour into his exercise there was a loud bang from his wall that caused Drake to jump slightly, the bang was quickly followed by yelling through the wall, the young man gritted his teeth and lowly growled.

This was not a common thing that occurred, however, every now and again it did happen. There was sometimes so much noise that Drake wondered if it was only one person living next door to him.

Having had enough of the noise for one afternoon Drake jumped to his feet and stormed over to the door, he threw it open and walked the few steps to his neighbour's front door. He rapped his fist on the entrance heavily and waited, at first there was no reply and so Drake struck the plywood once more, slightly louder this time.

"Oh, come on." Drake groaned, becoming impatient. The voice on the other side of the door stopped and then quickly opened, and two young men came face to face.

"Hey, can I help you?" The man asked, pulling his headphones off placing them around his neck while leaving his black hair an unkempt mess.

"Yeah, can you shut up? I'm your neighbour and I know we haven't spoken much but you're being fucking loud and it's annoying."

There was a nervous laugh from him, "Ah sorry," He rubbed the back of his head, "I didn't realise I was being so loud; I'll try and quieten a little."

"Thank you." Drake turned to leave, done with the conversation.

"Hey wait!" His neighbour stepped into the corridor and held out his hand for a shake, "I'm Jack Hall, just thought I should introduce myself; it would be nice if we could get along."

"Sure," He shook Jack's hand, "Drake Owens."

"Nice to meet you, Drake, I want to chat more, but I've got to go back and finish my stream. If you need anything or I'm being too loud again just give me a knock." He smiled, jade eyes shining.

"Yeah."

They both turned and started to enter their own homes, however, a bloody scream ripped across the corridor. The two men stopped, gave a look to one another and then down the hall. Jack whispered, "What the hell was that?"

"No idea…" Drake answered with a frown.

Another scream echoed from a flat down the hall, it was closely followed by a crash and shouting. The sound came from the flat that was home to a lovely old lady and her granddaughter, but the noise was anything but reassuring. Both Drake and Jack knew the old lady well and often had conversations with her, yet rarely the granddaughter who was studying at the local university.

They were worried for the grandmother…

Even without talking to one another, both men were taking quick steps towards the flat where the screams and cries were still continuously erupting from. Even from down the hall they could see something was horribly wrong, the white door was slightly ajar, and a deep red liquid covered the floor.

It was at this point they both felt something sink deep into the pit of their stomachs, something that made them feel sick.

Jack reached the door first and gave it a knock, "Mrs White, is everything okay?"

There was no reply and the screams had long since stopped and the corridor had fallen into a deafening silence. Jack found himself taking a small step back, paling as his socks soaked up the thick liquid that was all over the floor.

"We need to call someone," Jack stated, not daring to open the door with the fear of whatever left the mess still inside the flat.

"We need to check if she's alright first," Drake told himself, he just had to convince Jack as well. Drake noticed the door was slightly open and so he gave it a light push. it slowly swung open by itself at an agonising speed. There was an intense smell that suddenly escaped the room, Drake found himself gagging and taking a large step back, "What the fuck is that?"

"Oh shit," Jack whispered and covered his mouth as he investigated the entrance to the flat.

However, as the door hit the wall, neither were ready for the sight that was before them.

Blood decorated the walls like paint, large droplets of spatter danced across the floor, and there in the middle of the mess was the body it all came from. It was the body of the dear grandmother…

She was utterly destroyed, organs spilling onto the carpet and her skin pale.

She was gone… dead.

Both Drake and Jack couldn't help but stare for several seconds, but they soon realised that the body was not alone, hidden in the shadows was something waiting to pounce.

Within the darkness, shapes began to move, groaning as they turned to face the two men standing in the light of the doorway. They crawled towards the bright corridor, fingers digging into the blood-soaked carpet and heavy bodies heaving themselves forwards chaotically.

Their skin was pale with deep black veins bulging, threatening to burst, eyes discoloured, was a dark, sticky stain over their mouths and hands.

"Oh fuck…"

Another scream echoed from somewhere else down the corridor and everything froze, the beings stared up at them sensing their fear and lunging for their throats.

Maybe Drake would get his wish, it seemed he wouldn't be going back to ASDA anytime soon.

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**Welcome to my story ^^ ****I don't own anything recognisable**

**Please don't get dishearted if your character hasn't made an appearance yet, there are plenty of chapters on the way!**

**I've probably forgotten something but it's 2am and I really can't be asked to sort it out now.**

**Thanks to Zero for the proofreading help!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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The sweet scent of cake poured from under the kitchen door, slowly consuming the rest of the apartment. Keys jingled as the front door opened and a tall, lanky figure walked in, slamming the door shut behind them. With a deep breath in, they smiled speaking with a thick Scottish accent, "Skylar! Is that what I think it is? Is that the sweet, delicious smell of a cake?"

"Of course, it's a fucking cake, what else would it be?" She countered blandly, staring at the glass door of the oven as her prized double chocolate cake was slowly baking away.

"Ah, you have such a way with words Skye." The sounds of shoes being thrown down the corridor echoed, "is the kitchen side clean?"

"Since when have I ever left the side dirty after baking?"

The door of the kitchen opened and in walked one of her housemates, Seth. He smiled at her and looked at her clothes, "very true, but your t-shirt looks like you were in a war with a flour bomb."

Skylar looked down at her tight spaghetti strapped shirt and true to Seth's words, the black clothing was whiter than anything and her skinny jeans had numerous flour handprints, as she had been too lazy to wash them. She shrugged, "clothes can be cleaned, so keep your knickers on."

The Scotsman wandered over to the short girl who was squatting in front of the oven, he gave her hair a light rub, effectively messing up the short, frizzy brown locks. Skylar slapped his hand away and gave him a light push, jabbing her fingers into his rips and making him yelp in pain, she may be much smaller than the blonde, yet she knew how to stand her ground against him and his handsy ways.

"Get away from me, Seth."

"Why do you hate me?"

"You're loud and annoying."

"You always hit me right where it hurts; my heart."

The two students had been housemates for the last four years, having started university at the same time and each year sharing an apartment, now the two were in their fourth year and in the process of completing their masters degrees. This year, however, many of their previous roommates from their bachelor years had all graduated and joined the world of work, meaning they now shared a house with several first and second-year students a few years younger than them.

"Skye, if you're going to have your glasses on you-" He plucked the spectacles that were hiding in her curly locks and placed them on her button nose, "-at least wear them properly, your eyes are already bad, don't make them worse."

Skylar turned her head and looked up at Seth with an eyebrow raised, her mismatched green and brown eyes ogling at him with exasperation. Seth was grinning back at her, with that goofy look he always had when he knew he was right about something. In the end, she turned back to the oven and returned to watching the cake.

"Looks and smells lovely mi amor." Seth stood tall, stretching his arms to the ceiling and sighing as his bones popped loudly.

Once relaxed he moved to sit on one of the counter seats on the other side of the kitchen. There was a loud thump as he dumped his rucksack on the counter, his back thanking him for the freedom from his heavy belongings. His bag was filled with countless language books, folders and scrunched up notes from his many lectures. He tipped out the entire bag onto the side and pushed around the books, papers spilling out and onto the floor.

Seth wasn't the most organised person, he didn't see the need in making sure everything was perfect if he wanted something he knew exactly where it was within his clutter. However, he cared for his roommates' feelings and would try not to leave a mess around the more communal areas, hence this also meant that he would never let any of his roommates into the hell hole that was also known as his bedroom.

He picked up the papers that had fallen to the floor and began to separate the ones he would likely need for later, "So, going to give any of that cake to me this time?"

"I thought you said you were on a diet?"

Seth gave a hearty laugh and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yeah, I guess I did..."

"Then fuck no."

"Сука."

"Dick."

A chuckle escaped Seth's throat as he noticed the small smile on Skylar's lips, "I hate you."

The two enjoyed their newfound silence and fell into their normal routine, with Seth quickly reviewing his work from the day and Skylar watching her cake for its last few minutes of baking. As the minutes passed the front door opened again and the sound of footsteps headed to the kitchen, in the doorway appeared another one of their roommates, and one they got along very well with.

"Hey Lane." Seth smiled at the young girl, "what are you doing home? I thought you had fencing practice today?"

Lane was a beautiful young woman, her dark, sandy hair pulled tightly into a ponytail, not a single strand out of place. She wandered over to the counter gently placing her sports bag by the empty seat beside Seth, who was rushing to neaten up his papers and books into a haphazard pile.

Lane smirked at Seth's attempts to be orderly as she knew he really was trying.

The nineteen-year-old took a seat next to Seth, resting her chin in her hand. "We were supposed to have practice this evening, but the volleyball team's using the hall for their first game of the summer, as there were complications with going to Southampton or something and all the other halls are being used for exams. So, practice got cancelled."

"That sucks," Seth answered, he cringed at the papers in his hands unable to read his own scrawls that really couldn't be considered handwriting.

"Cake, if you collapse on me now, I shall throw you out the window and pray that you hit someone as they walk by." Skylar dared to open the oven by an inch, she reached in sticking a skewer into the sponge and quickly pulling it out. The metal skewer came out clean and the small girl punched the air in happiness, "thank you, Jesus!"

Lane clapped as Skylar turned off the oven and carefully pulled the cake out, placing it on the side. The brunette stared deeply at her masterpiece in pure bliss and Lane couldn't help but smile softly at the older woman's actions.

Unlike Seth, Skylar was a perfectionist… well, some days she was a perfectionist, other days she was a human tornado and a hundred times worse than the Scotsman. When Lane first moved in with the mature students it was a big change - having come over from America on an impressive scholarship - England was completely different from everything she ever knew and had previously experienced.

Seth and Skylar were the first two people she met arriving at the university accommodation, they were arguing in the kitchen when she arrived with her belongings. Seth was yelling at Skylar with a deep Scottish twang, his accent so strong that Lane found it difficult to make out even a single word he was saying. Skylar, on the other hand, was slapping Seth and shouting in a high and elegant tone.

It wasn't the best of first impressions for her British housemates.

After the dispute, Seth had apologised profusely for their actions stating the Skylar had her good and her bad days.

From that moment, Skylar's personalities became a complete mystery, though Lane was still yet to see Skylar at her worst.

"Even think about touching this cake Mr Kidding and I will personally shove that rolling pin up your arse." The brunette pointed to a large wooden rolling pin in the kitchen utensil pot.

Seth smirked and raised an eyebrow, "kinky."

The comment caused Lane to grow a little flustered, as she still was not completely used to the Scotsman's overconfident personality. Seth was always very forward with his speech and actions, saying the first thing that would come into his mind without thinking about it. Even if it would be deemed extremely sexual.

With a chuckled Seth checked the clock on the kitchen wall, "oh god, is that the time? I forgot I am supposed to be meeting with the girl I'm tutoring in French tonight, do you two want to come with me and we'll grab dinner afterwards?"

Skylar stood and gave him a knowing look, "Sure you're just not trying to get out of being alone with the girl?"

"Ah, you caught me," Seth dramatically gasped and slapped his hand against his heart, "this girl has been trying to get into my pants from the moment I started helping her, but she's not my type."

"Didn't think you had a type; you normally go for anyone that breathes oxygen." Skylar quipped and the comment made Lane hide her giggle behind a hand.

"Hey! I do have a type! My sexuality just means my type is very broad." He huffed, attempting to gather his French worksheets from the mess, "So are you going to come? I need the support of my two favourite girls."

Lane sighed looking at her bag in the corner, feeling unfulfilled as she hadn't had her usual practice to exert some energy. "I have to study, but I'll text when I'm done and meet you afterwards."

"That's fair, mi amor."

Lane still couldn't get used to that nickname Seth used for everyone, both boys and girls alike. Originally, she had told him to not use the Spanish phrase on her, but it was useless, after all, Seth did whatever he wanted.

The blonde man turned to Skylar, "Skye? How about you?"

"I'm going to let you suffer until Lane is ready to go." Skylar happily declared.

Seth glared at her, "do you even feel a hint of love for me in that stone-cold heart of yours?"

"Depends on the day of the week."

Lane watched as the two of them continued to bicker, they acted like siblings and would always be teasing one another constantly. It was surprisingly sweet when she thought about it. The American was glad that she had found such lovely people, she knew they cared for her just as much as she did for them. They had become her home away from home, something that she never thought could happen.

By now the smell of the cake overwhelmed the room and it was heavenly, Lane couldn't wait to try it, even if it wasn't her favourite type of cake.

She picked up one of Seth's mounds of paper and decided to help in categorising them by language, the young man's disorganisation was the only thing that really frustrated her. As she sorted through the slightly creased sheets of paper, Lane found herself subconsciously reading some of his notes and was fascinated by his work. The Scotsman was studying languages, and Lane found it impressive that the man was fluent in at least five different ones.

Though his handwriting was indeed the ugliest thing that ever existed.

"Seth, why did you come back home after your lecture if you were just going out again?" It didn't take Lane long to finish sorting her roommate's work and put the pile that was deemed to be in French into one of Seth's many colourful folders.

"Because I'm dumb and forgot I was tutoring tonight." He gave a cheeky wink, "speaking of tutoring I have to go now, text me when you're free. Bye, bye girls." The blonde gently took the French folder from Lane with a nod of thanks and sprinted out of the kitchen, grabbing his shoes one at a time as he ran down the corridor.

"He's doomed right?" Lane asked as Seth disappeared quickly out the front door.

"Yeah, he's more doomed than my grades."

The girls shared a laugh, Lane shaking her head in amusement and pulling her ponytail out, letting her hair fall towards her shoulders, a strand or two were slightly wispy yet - with the help of gravity - returned to their normal silky style. Skylar had returned to her cake, rapidly fanning it with her hands, as she was utterly desperate to start putting her homemade butter icing on.

* * *

Fingers frantically tapped away on the keyboard as Issac pushed through his workload for the day. The computer science student was happily working away, smiling as his fingers barely touched the keys. The sun was shining from the windows and onto his computer screen making it slightly difficult to read the algorithms he was processing.

His laptop sat next to the computer, loaded up on a worksheet filled with equations and numbers.

Despite the class starting over an hour ago, the lecturer was still yet to show and many of the students had given up and gone home for the day. Though, there were still the few who stayed in the computer room to either play games or actually do the work that had been uploaded on the university website for them.

There was an unexpected slam as the computer lab's door flew open and sharply hit the wall, Issac turned in his seat and yet continued moving his fingers knowing exactly which keys to press.

In the doorway stood a small boy in what seemed to be one of the university's sports uniforms, his black hair a static mess and his breath laboured as sucked in. He leant against the door frame and gasped, "Is there a-" He took a particularly long breath in, "-violin in here?"

"Uh," Issac remembered when he came into the lab it was a mess from the class before, music students were always untidy. Many things usually get left behind after such disorganised lectures, and so Issac had found what seemed to be a violin case in his normal seat. Being the lovely human he was, he moved it to a safe place, being an empty seat next to him, so it wasn't damaged in any way, "yeah, it's over here."

The small man raced over, somehow gracefully leaping over a desk and its computers to reach Issac, "thank god."

Standing up Issac grabbed the handle of the case, he turned to the boy passing the delicate instrument over. He was surprised for a second as he found himself looking down at the boy, Issac himself wasn't the tallest person around as he stood at 5'8, but the guy was just plain dinky being at least a good couple of inches shorter than him.

Issac managed to get a closer look at the white uniform the guy wore, the white fabric was almost tight against his skin, showing the lack of muscle build and skinniness of the sportsman.

Which, for someone who seemingly played competitive sport, was unusual.

The shirt had crimson crisscross patterns across the shoulders leading down to the chest, on the right side of his torso was the university logo and the bold words 'UNIVERSITY VOLLEYBALL TEAM' underneath.

"Aren't you a bit small to be a volleyball player?" Issac asked, looking the boy up and down.

"I feel like I should be insulted but I can't make sense of that Scottish accent of yours."

Issac could immediately sense the small man's irritation, his blue eyes narrowing as he snatched the violin case, checking the weight of it quickly. The guy was bad-mannered, Issac could tell that from a mile away, he hoped that they would leave quickly as he wanted to finish his work.

Yet, he wouldn't voice his opinion. He didn't want to piss the man off further.

The orange eyes of the Scotsman's took another quick look over the petite man and for a second, Issac thought that his arms were covered in bruises, but he quickly dismissed it as shadows from the trees obscuring the sunlight.

"Do you have the time?"

Issac checked the clock on his laptop's screen, "It's 5:35 pm."

"Shit! I'm going to be fucking late." The sportsman turned, racing back through the mass of chairs and desks, however, this time not so gracefully as he tripped over a set of wires and almost faceplanted the door.

"You alright?"

"Yeah! Thanks, I guess!" His voice was quiet as he disappeared into the hall slamming the door loudly.

"What a strange dude…" Issac huffed, he sat down in his chair and began typing again.

Minutes continued to pass one by one, and the leftover students began to leave, bored of doing nothing.

Issac's mobile was placed on the desk next to the mouse, it glowed and buzzed lightly as a message appeared on the screen. He picked up the phone and unlocked it with his fingerprint, the message was from an old friend of his in Scotland, who was coincidently studying here at the university too and lived very close to him with other students.

Issac read the text, 'Issac, if you're still at uni don't go home, I need company. I'll buy food. Seth x'

"Really Seth?" He whispered to himself, he looked over his work and determined it was almost done. Issac quickly wrote a message back, 'where are you? I'll head over after I've finished up, ten minutes tops.'

Within seconds his phone vibrated as a reply came through, 'You're an angel, food hall, I'm walking past the sports hall now.'

'I'll meet you there. You better buy me something good to eat.'

'Only the best for you, mi amor x'

Seth really hadn't changed in the years since their childhood. He was still a social butterfly who made friends easily due him growing up with a notably large family, despite Seth being three years older than Issac, they had gone to neighbouring schools in their homeland of Scotland and so had been on many school trips together. Their interactions grew over the years, Seth becoming a person who would always butt his nose in where it didn't belong and inviting Issac round for dinner often.

Issac initially thought his household full of women was crazy, but from the few times he had visited the older male's home, he had found that Seth was the oldest of six siblings, and it was absolute chaos.

Unlike Issac's family, who had moved down to London with him when he was accepted into the same university as his sister went to, Seth had left his family almost four hundred miles away in Scotland and was enjoying the freedom of not having to share a room with his little brothers.

Dark brown hair fell in front of his eyes as he rested his head in his hand, he did miss Scotland, the fresh air and the wide-open spaces. Something London was severely lacking… If Issac had any choice he would have gone to a university that wasn't located in a city full of pollution.

After saving his current algorithm he stood and picked up his light blue hoodie that was hanging over the back of the chair. He swung the hoodie over his head, covering the sea green shirt that was decorated with a Greek Pegasus, a purple Roman wreath and the bold words 'United we Stand'.

Issac unplugged his laptop waiting for it to shut down, he pulled his two-litre water bottle from his bag and took a large swig from it, he had almost drunk two thirds throughout the day and it was in need refilling as the water has turned warm. The laptop quickly turned off and he carefully packed everything away into his rucksack neatly.

Picking up his water bottle he left the computer room and walked towards the food hall, excited at the thought of free food.

* * *

"At least someone's got a heart in this place." Seth grinned to himself as he stuffed his phone into his jeans' pocket. He walked down the concrete steps that lead to behind the sports hall, it was still extremely hot and so all the doors were open, allowing for the screams and cheers from the volleyball game to echo out.

Seth couldn't help himself, he wanted to see some attractive men hit a ball across a court, even if it was only for a few minutes. He found one of the back doors and took a sneaky look at the game that was ongoing. The London University's team were clothed in a black and red uniform, where the red was a faded criss-cross pattern across the chest.

Besides the basketball team, the volleyball team had some of the tallest men in the university, easily beating the height of six foot and more.

Apart from one guy…

A petite guy was also on the court on the university's side, however, he was adorned in the opposite colours to the rest of the team, where he was in white instead of black. He was standing at the back of the court, baby blue eyes locked on the ball as it flew on the other side of the net, his body was tense, and arms were stretched out at his sides as he breathed calmly.

Seth eyed up the small boy, he was slightly glistening in sweat, black hair stuck to his forehead while other strands were defying gravity. Suddenly, the ball was spiked from the other team barely being obstructed by the fingertips of the three blockers.

The ball flew towards the back right of the room, to the nearest corner to where Seth was standing…

Grey eyes widened as the petite boy raced from his spot and leapt over the barrier of the play zone. Somehow, his scrunched-up fist contacted the ball while he was mid-air and he sent the ball flying back towards the court allowing it to stay in play, yet not without landing in a heap on the floor in front of Seth.

The blonde couldn't react fast enough, he barely made it a step into the hall to give him a hand up before the guy was back on his feet and sprinting over the barrier back towards the court.

A breath escaped Seth's throat, up close the boy was a worrying sight…

Bruises of all shapes, sizes and colours covered the young man.

His skin was decorated like a child's finger painting, arms a blotchy black and blue mess, legs scattered with a mixture of dark colours.

Seth frowned; they couldn't all be from volleyball…

There was no way that a sport can cause someone to become that damaged, they would have had to come from constant impact on the body, such as that of physical abuse. Despite Seth being an extremely nosy man, he told himself he wouldn't get involved in someone's personal business again, he wouldn't risk causing another misunderstanding.

The game continued and Seth thought it best to leave, he turned on his heels and walked away, sighing as the thoughts of those bruises still plagued his mind.

The walk to the food hall was a short one, Seth bounced up the stairs two at a time, deciding that it was his exercise for the week - as he breathlessly reached the top. The hall was large with glass windows that acted as walls and beautiful sliding doors that never opened. Seth walked over to the middle of the hall and sat at one of the rectangular tables, spreading out the French folder Lane had sorted for him.

He really did need to thank her for sorting out his messes for him.

He sat down looking around the empty food hall, Seth had expected the girl he was tutoring to already be waiting for him, but it seemed he was out of luck. He still had a while before Issac, Skylar and Lane would join him and so he played on his phone, ignoring the numerous messages from people he had met at the university's parties and gatherings.

He also had multiple group chats open from his lectures, each one in a different language. Seth smirked as he skimmed through some of the conversations, he found the first-year students so amusing. They would drink every night, not regretting if they missed a lecture or two, life was easy during the first year, yet it only got harder as the years passed.

"Seth!"

The blonde looked up and saw Issac, the brown curly hair of the younger falling messily in front of his unique dark orange eyes. Seth pulled out a seat for Issac and waited for him to sit down, "Thanks for coming."

"You offered free food, and so here I am," Issac stated simply.

"They've got smoked haddock and chips on the menu today." Seth grinned, "Sound good?"

"God yes." Issac almost moaned, he looked over the table and observed the French notes. "I thought you were already fluent in French, what's with all the notes?"

Seth slouched in his seat, placing his mobile on the table, "oui, je suis, but the girl that was supposed to be here ten minutes ago isn't."

"Ah, is she failing?"

"Tremendously," Seth laughed, "I'm theoretically here to help her correct her latest essay that she failed and because the lecturers have given up trying to help her and so I'm the one they call."

"Sucks to be you."

"Whatever, anyway the two girls from my house are going to join us later, that okay with you?" Seth gave his usual smile and stretched in his seat, placing his feet on the other chair opposite him. Issac nodded as a reply and set up his laptop on the table, loading up an online game and making himself comfortable.

Time ticked by slowly, Seth doing some of his own coursework and Issac manically smashing his keyboard as he played. The sun was now starting to set and there was a warm glow from the reddening sky, the hall glowed warmly making it a comforting scene.

A bang sounded as one of the sliding glass doors was forced open, a small figure wandering in.

Seth looked over to the individual that now stood by the vending machine, recognising the small body that was quietly talking on the phone, "yeah, dad we won, and I only fell over a little… no, I'm fine, stop worrying." He stopped at stared at the various amounts of drinks, "Yes, I took them, I'll be fine, dad. Anyway, I missed the last train, can you pick me up?"

A soft smile grew on his lips, the man was still in his volleyball uniform, however, he had a large guitar case on his back and carried a violin case in his free hand. Seth poked Issac and pointed to the boy, "I watched him at the sports hall, he's good."

"Ah, it's the rude violin boy," Issac stated.

"You know him?"

Issac shook his head, "Nope, he came into the computer lab looking for his violin. He's part of the music course that always leaves a mess in the labs. You saw him play?"

"Yeah, only for a few minutes though, he jumped over the barrier to hit a ball back to the court." Seth bit his bottom lip as he held back a chuckle, "he then collided with the floor."

"Maybe he's clumsy?" Issac shrugged then grinned as a memory from earlier appeared in his mind, "He almost faceplanted the lab doors running out as well."

The two laughed, Seth continued to watch the boy while Issac returned to his game. The small student groaned loudly into his phone, as he struggled to get money for the vending machine out of his bag, "you can't pick me up? Why?" He fell quiet, "Oh…"

Seth raised an eyebrow as he listened in and continued to be curious.

"It's okay, I'll just wait here then, see you later." The black-haired guy took a deep breath and seemed to relax, however in a second was angrily punching in several numbers into the vending machine. He waited for it to spew out his drink, but nothing. He pressed some of the buttons again and then yelled, not caring if he drew attention to himself, "you've got to be fucking with me, don't eat my money, you fucking piece of shit."

Seth couldn't help but strain to hold back his amusement as the petite boy started kicking the vending machine, trying to force any kind of drink out. Somehow, after much embarrassment, a can fell out of the machine, though obviously not one he wanted as a frustrated sound echoed around the empty hall.

The black hair man dumped his belongings on the table next to the Scotsmen, slumping down in a seat and leaning his head back.

After grumbling a few choice words to himself, he opened the unwanted drink and pulled what seemed to be a small pot from his bag, one by one he started putting a substantial number of piercings back into his face. Seth found himself counting each one; three in the right ear, six in the left, one in the left side of his nose and two on either side of his bottom lip.

Seth smirked, running his tongue along his lips, feeling his own oral piercing run across his teeth. He didn't like to admit it, but he did have a thing for earrings and other piercings, it just made him think about what others the petite man was hiding.

"Seth," Issac sang childishly, "You're being creepy."

"No, I'm not, I'm just appreciating his many piercings..."

"Like I said, creepy."

Seth chuckled, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and rummaging through it, he pulled out a twenty-pound note and handed it to the younger man, "Here, go get your food."

"Want anything?" Issac stood, but not without finding a safe spot in his game and camping.

Seth shook his head, "No, I'm not hungry yet. But I am going to attempt to make conversation with Mr Emo over there."

"I bet you ten quid that he punches you." Issac sniggered, walking around the table.

"Fine, if I can get his number though you owe me a tenner." Seth stood and stretched his arms above his head, enjoying the cracking sound his elbows made.

"Deal, good luck, though if he is going to punch you please let me see it." Issac gave one last wave before he jogged off, disappearing around the corner to the canteen.

The blonde slowly walked over to the volleyball player's table, by now the petite boy had pulled out an expensive, acoustic guitar and was quietly plucking at the strings. The song was light and gentle, almost soothing, Seth found himself sitting a few seats away leaning his head in his hand as he listened quietly.

Once more, he couldn't help but gaze the discolouration on the man's skin, there seemed to be a few more than before, with newer pink bruises on his elbows and shoulders.

"Uh," The music stopped, "Can I help you?"

Blue eyes were locked onto the blonde, narrowing slightly.

"Ah no, sorry," Seth smiled softly, "I'm enjoying your music that's all."

"Uh…" He stammered, not knowing how to answer and instead plucked away again, the tune sad and solemn.

"I'm Seth," He introduced himself, "do you only know depressing songs?"

The boy looked at him, changing his stance and suddenly strumming the guitar more violently and playing a more upbeat melody. It made Seth laugh; he recognised the notes from an old children's film he loved: El Dorado. Memories of the scene flashed into his mind, with Miguel manically strumming his guitar during the game of Sevens at the beginning of the movie.

Seth moved a seat closer to the boy, inching slowly closer so he didn't create an air of awkwardness.

The boy finished playing and looked at Seth, "I can play anything."

"Anything? As in any instrument or any song?"

"Yeah."

Seth raised his eyebrows at the vague answer.

Pale fingers plucked at the strings again, he frowned when one string sounded slightly out of tune.

"So, can I get your name?"

"Keith."

Seth smiled, "Nice to meet you, Keith."

Keith nodded, "yeah."

_Thump… Thump… Thump…_

The two men looked over to the large glass door, it was almost dark now, the new moon slowly rising in the sky. There at the door stood a body, barely visible in the darkness. A hand was pressed up against the glass knocking it lightly, and a deep liquid was dripping down slowly. Seth huffed recognising them, "God finally, she shows up." He stood, leaning close to Keith, "don't leave, mi amor, I'll be back in a bit."

Keith sat wide-eyed; mouth having fallen open slightly as he couldn't tell if Seth was flirting with him or was just a very friendly guy.

The blonde wandered over to the door, mumbling to himself, "makes me wait over an hour for a tutor session, la vache, quelle salope."

The hand continued to pound against the glass, long, dark hair covering a sickly face. Seth grabbed the door handle ready to force the doors open but quickly stopped, grey eyes ran up and down the shaking body. The girl's skin was pale, far too pale to be considered healthy, his eyes encountered the girl's leg and his face contorted with a sudden hit of fear.

Slowly, too scared to do any sudden movements, his hand came off the handle and he took a large step back, as dark red blood oozed from a messy hole on the exposed thigh of the girl.

A set of dead eyes locked onto him and teeth pushed against the window, almost as if the girl could sense him. Seth didn't know how to react, he just stood there, and his breath got stuck in his throat, terror pounding over his body.

The girl's head abruptly smashed into the glass, easily shattering it to pieces and leaving a dent in her skull, Seth was frozen, words barely escaping his lips, "Qu'est-ce que…"

Arm's reached through the hole in the window, thick blood spurting from wounds and screeches ripped from the girl's throat. She pulled her body through the opening, desperate for the flesh of the frozen man. Her bones cracked and broke as she lunged at Seth, his head harshly hitting the floor with a loud thump as the sudden weight crashed into him.

The Scotsman screamed, "Putain de merde, putain de merde!"

He had one hand against the being's forehead and the other on her throat, attempting to push her away as she growled and bared her dislodged teeth.

Yet, she was too strong…

A wide mouth gnashed at Seth's throat, he groaned as he pushed himself further into the floor, trying to force her away.

"Get the fuck off him!" A chair swung at the girl, knocking her off Seth and sending her skidding across the floor, limbs folding under her torso in a disgusting was. Air rushed back into the blonde's lungs, he coughed loudly and sat up placing a hand over his chest, happy to be alive.

"Thank you…" Seth gasped, "Thank you."

The girl groaned and started to pull herself back to her feet, Seth watched in shock as Keith calmly walked over to her and wielded the chair above his head, bringing it sharply down on the girl's skull.

Blood splashed up onto Keith's uniform, staining the white fabric a murky scarlet.

Keith walked over to him, lending him a hand and helping the taller male to his feet, he eyed the body on the floor. Seth took a deep breath, the feeling finally coming back into his knees, "What is she?"

There was only a shrug from the shorter boy whose blue eyes were locked on the puddle of blood on the floor. He couldn't really believe what had just happened, how could he do such a thing?

Did he really just kill someone?

More groans and screams of panic filled the silence between the two students, their eyes turned and saw the collection of bodies growing in numbers outside of the hall.

"We have to go," Seth stated quietly, grabbing Keith's wrist and pulling him away from the window, out of sight from everything.

Almost immediately Keith came back to his senses, "Sounds like a fucking plan."

The two sprinted back to their tables, grabbing all their belongings, with Seth packing up Issac's valuables and slinging the bag over his back hastily. They prepared to leave, Keith turning for the nearest exit, yet only to be stopped by the much taller man.

"Wait! We have to go get my friend Issac!"

"No offence, but I think getting out of here is more important!"

Seth grabbed Keith's shirt and yanked him close, almost getting hit in the head by the guitar strapped to his back as the boy was so short. He glared, "Wow, you're a real piece of work. Now listen here, I never leave a friend behind, Issac is a dear person to me and I am going to look after him and it's better if we stay together so we can watch each other's backs, now we are going to get him and then we can get out of here."

"Oh, so scary," Keith whispered with a hidden smirk, "fine."

There was a loud crash as another body forced itself through the glass, the two young men stared at the beings multiplying.

"Come on then!" Keith grabbed Seth's hand, "Let's go!"

The petite man ran for his life, dragging the blonde behind him.

* * *

**Okay, a 5am update today... So there is probably a few grammatical errors that I'll sort in the morning/a few hours.**

**Fancy giving me a character that is multilingual... I only speak one language: bad English. So expect mistakes with any other languages in any of the chapters. If I haven't quite got a character right, please let me know, I want to do my best for you guys.**

**Every chapter from here on out is set within the world of zombies, so be prepared for action.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"Run…"

"Shit…"

"Run!"

Drake shoved Jack down the corridor, away from the infestation that was growing in the room before them. Their footsteps were heavy, pounding against the floor as they raced back towards their rooms, Jack at the front with Drake fast on his heels. They both slammed into the nearest door, which lead to Jack's room, they fumbled with the handle and toppled into the room, almost landing on one another. Drake regained his balance and managed to slam the door shut behind them.

Hearts were thumping loudly, adrenaline pulsating through their veins, the young men crawled to the door and leaned up against it. Drake gritted his teeth together and cracked his knuckles, his stomach churning at the sounds of the bodies that slammed themselves just on the other side of the thin piece of wood.

"What the hell!" Jack yelled, he pulled up the handle, locking it. Though, both of them knew it was going to take a lot more than a simple lock to stop the unnaturally strong beings.

Neither young man knew what to do or what was going on. Their world as they knew it was coming to an end.

The layout of Jack's apartment was identical to Drake's, the older man seemed to also be a little lacklustre with his cleaning as the odd jumper and sock laid thrown across the floor.

They looked at one another and risked moving away from the door, Jack ran through the hallway, almost slipping as he turned the sharp corner to where the tiny lounge and bedroom were. Drake followed the older man into the bedroom, where his eyes met with a shiny wooden baseball bat that was wedged behind an overflowing washing basket.

Jack had rushed over to his computer that was in the far corner of the room, a large black desk chair was shoved out of the way as he was too impatient to even sit down. His dark green eyes darted from the screen to the keyboard as his fingers tapped away quickly, Jack grew more and more unsettled with every passing second with his feet bouncing nervously. He pulled on his headphones from his neck and looked into the camera above his computer setup, "does anyone know what the hell is going on? Because I have just seen some shit!"

Drake looked at the computers, they were buzzing away, making the room extremely warm. There were two screens next to each other, one was loaded up with a game while the other seemed to have what was a chat window filling the screen.

"You stream games for a job?" Drake asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, the rage-inducing ones are the reason I sometimes yell a lot." Jack breathed, closing the game and bringing up BBC news. He quickly read through the most recent stories, "It's a mess out there… They're saying we need to stay indoors and not go outside until the authorities have got control over the area."

The two men gave a look to one another as another scream lingered in the hallway.

"Yeah because indoors sounds so safe right now," Drake mumbled.

"Jesus, my live chat is a mess as well."

A disorder of comments flooded the chat, asking for help, many were in a panic, and others were disconnecting from the site altogether.

"These comments are from all over the world, this isn't just happening here." He turned back to the camera, trying to relax, "Guys, calm down!" Jack yelled, slamming a hand on his keyboard, "listen, get somewhere safe and protect each other, wherever you are and whoever you are with, work with one another to survive-"

A loud crash was followed by an onslaught of bodies falling into the apartment.

"Shit!" Drake raced over to the bedroom door and slammed it shut. "We need to leave, right now."

"Agreed."

"That baseball bat over there, give it to me," Drake demanded, holding the door handle up, "got anything else like that hidden around here?"

Jack pulled his headphones back over his neck and handed him the shiny wooden bat, "besides an old volleyball? No."

Moans of the dead grew louder and louder.

"Drake, throw me the rucksack by your feet."

Drake did so for the older male and watched as he grabbed some spare clothes, his phone and the charger, and some of the snacks he kept in a drawer by his desk. The air had become heavy and the stench of death grew, there was a low creak as Drake opened the door slightly and peered into the lounge.

"One, two…" He looked around the door even more, "three…" There was a crash from the kitchen, "maybe four or five." He pulled the door shut again, sighing.

"Is it bad?" Jack asked.

The younger man gave a curt nod.

Jack hummed to himself and looked around his bedroom, it was a little messy, a few clothes thrown around the place from his manic packing. Above his bed was the window that still had the curtains drawn, an idea popped into his head. It had been a while since he had moved to London, but he had been working so much that he hadn't taken the time to really look around. He leapt onto the bed, ripping open the curtains and opening the window wide.

True to what BBC news said… London was a state; blood covered the roads below and smoke rose into the sky from all neighbouring buildings.

"Woah…"

There was a sudden bang on the bedroom door, Drake forced his body against it before the corpse had a chance to push it open. It was too late; the beings had found them.

Jack stuck his head out the window and looked down, "the window for the room below is open."

"We're eight floors up," Drake frowned, "do you like the idea of death?"

"Well, I'd rather take my chances out there than with them."

Drake noticed the bangs on the door were becoming more violent, after minimal thought he gave a single nod to Jack letting him know he was prepared to do whatever it would take to survive.

Jack swung his leg out the window, sitting on the sill. Jade eyes looked at the road below, it was so far down, much farther now that he was inches from falling. A feeling of dread grew in the pit of his stomach, there was no knowing what was in the room below, it could have been already overrun, maybe even destroyed. But the two men had no other choice but to leave; the bedroom door wouldn't hold out much longer.

The distance between the two windows was much farther than Jack had initially anticipated, despite being 6'2 it seemed like he was going to have to use his whole body to reach the open window.

He carefully swung his other leg over the sill, putting all his weight onto his hands. He sucked in a breath, "holy crap."

"Need to hurry!" Drake yelled, now struggling to hold the door closed as only the rapid bashes of bodies on the other side could be heard. He groaned as a large forced pushed him forwards, he landed on the floor barely having a second to slam his feet into the door, forcing it shut once again. "Come on!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

Drake listened as the wooden door cracked underneath the pressure, he knew he could probably take out one or two of the undead beings... but a whole group? That was pushing it. Especially when he only had a simple baseball bat to defend himself. The young man eyed the wardrobe next to the door, praying that it wasn't attached to the wall. He threw the bat onto the bed and then launched himself against the wardrobe, gripping the top and pulling his weight back.

It fell in front of the door with a bang, Drake barely rolling out of the way in time as boxes and old computer equipment tumbled out. Drake smirked, pleased with his work. Suddenly a grey hand ripped its way through the wooden door, fingers snapping off as they got forced through the gaps. The young man took a large step back, knowing immediately that it wouldn't be long before the rest of the body followed.

"Shit," Grabbing the bat, Drake rushed to the window where Jack was now dangling dangerously trying to use his long legs to reach the sill below. "How far away are you?"

"A couple of inches!" Jack called, voice straining.

Drake climbed onto the sill holding out his hand, "grab hold."

With Drake's help, Jack was able to place his toes on the open window ledge. He carefully lowered himself down, looking into the room. It was dark, quiet and untouched, much like his own before he had moved in. Jack smiled, realising no one lived in this apartment, "it's empty!"

"Go!" Drake yelled, swinging his legs over the sill, ready to follow the older man. He spared one more look to the broken door and instead of a hand, a bloody face was staring back at him. Its jaw was slack, teeth falling from its lips as it bashed its face against the wooden door. Drake looked away, knowing there was nothing he could do for them. Tucking the bat into his belt, he lowered himself out the window hoping that is leftover strength would be enough to keep him alive.

But, just like for Jack, the ledge was a few inches out of reach.

"I can't reach!"

"I've got you," Jack reassured him, "let go!"

"Are you shitting me?" Drake scowled, "I don't want to fall to my death!"

"I'm not going to drop you, we're the same height, I'm sure we weigh about the same."

A grumble escaped the younger man's throat, he seriously doubted that his body - which was ready for the army - was the same weight as an adult who sat playing games for a living. From just the few minutes they had spent together, Drake could tell that he had much more well-defined muscles compared to his elder, even if they did have a similar athletic shape.

"You drop me, and I will come after you."

Before he could ready himself, tanned fingers slipped from Jack's window.

He fell.

Drake's life stopped in that second and everything he had lived through flashed through his mind. All the bad and the worse, the pain and the hatred, everything.

"Jesus, you are heavier than me!" Jack grinned, "You're lucky I'm quick!"

The young man left out a quiet breath of relief; Jack had caught him…

He wasn't dying today.

As Drake was pulled into the room and he saw that the room was indeed unlived in.

"Let's get out of here," Jack whispered.

Together they flew from the room, down the corridor and towards the stairs, floor by floor they ran, never stopping. Drake decided to take the lead, hitting any of the undead out of the way and making a clear path. By the time they had reached the foyer, both men were breathing deeply, already exhausted from their escape.

They left the building through the front door, almost immediately regretting their decision; the streets were a warzone. People were eating each other in the middle of the road, cars crashed into buildings with screaming humans still trapped inside and everyone was in a panic. No one knew what was happening and no one knew what to do…

Drake and Jack ran…

Their need to survive becoming the most important thing...

* * *

"Fire!"

Loud explosions filled the air as smoke rose slowly into the sky.

The fences around Buckingham Palace had been completely sealed, allowing no one in or out. The guards protected the outskirts, using the only firearms they had to stand their ground and defend their lives. The streets were filled with bodies as the number of casualties grew with every passing second. Out of nowhere, deformed humanoids started feasting on the flesh of the living.

Within minutes society fell apart and everything crumbled.

The roads became a slaughter, cars ramming into one another, uncaring if they hit another person or vehicle.

A deep red filled the sky with a warm glow and a gentle breeze blew calmly through London.

"Beauregard! On your left!"

There was a grumble from the guard as he was knocked into the fence when a large body slammed into him, it took all his strength to keep the teeth away from his neck. The tall guard slammed the barrel of his rifle into the chin of the body, firing and looking away as the head exploded. The body fell heavily to the floor, before being kicked away sharply, more beings turned towards the guard; attracted by the sound of the rifle shots.

Beauregard ran a hand through his sweaty blonde hair, "this is getting us nowhere!" He pulled out a radio from his pocket, "Corporal Richards where's your squad? We need help at the main gate!"

There was no answer.

"Corporal Richards!" Beauregard swiped his SA80 at a body closing in on him, the blade cleanly slicing the neck of the being. Thick blood spurted from the wound, "anyone!"

His own unit wasn't doing so well either, many of his men were surrounded, fighting with their limited ammunition. Emerald eyes darted around, and he could hear their screams, their corpses laid on the floor being devoured every second. He couldn't keep up the fight for much longer, it had been hours since the start of the battle and it wasn't going to end anytime soon.

"Look out!" A car barrelled through the crowds, heading straight for the tall guard. Beauregard didn't have a chance to react, he was a deer in headlights to a car that was aiming straight for him. Abruptly, he was shoved out of the way by the only living member of his team. The car crushed the guard into the main gate, his coming to an end just a quickly.

Inside the car, the driver fought with another being, punching and kicking the corpse away, however, they succumbed to the monstrous deadly bite. Bloodstained the window, the screams of the living falling silent.

"Shit..." Beauregard groaned and lifted himself from the ground, his hands were scraped, bleeding slightly and small pieces of granite were embedded in the wounds. His body was heavy, tired from the strain of fighting, with a shaky breath he looked over to the crumpled car, "No… Morgan!"

As another body reached for Beauregard, he expertly lined up his rifle and managed to shoot the being straight between the eyes. He gritted his teeth together and knew there was nothing he could do; he was fighting a losing battle.

The gates of Buckingham Palace were destroyed and one by one the hoard trickled inside…

Within seconds he was surrounded, the starry sky disappearing behind a mass of bodies.

Beauregard managed to stop a set of deformed jaws with his gloved hands milliseconds before they clamped down on his neck, "get the heck off me!" He wrapped his legs around the neck of the being, twisting sharply and listening to the sickly sound of bones cracking. The body fell limp and the guard rolled over, getting out of the way as another deadly being lunged for him.

Somehow Beauregard crawled to his feet, reloading his rifle while he had the chance.

There was a high-pitched scream from down the road.

He had a clear path, a path away from the hell that was his job.

At that moment a simple choice racked through his mind; to leave his post or to stay and fight.

However, Beauregard had his motivations in life, his heart telling him that staying within the centre of London was a terrible idea.

The decision was made.

His family, his younger sister, they were out there somewhere, and he was going to find them, whether they were alive or not.

Saving his leftover ammunition, Beauregard stood giving a sharp kick to the chest of a slowly closing in being.

He sneered, letting out a gruff voice, "bring it on you bastards." Balling his fists, the blonde got ready to punch his way through the crowd, however, the deadly beings were not interested in him.

Beauregard took this as his chance, he ran.

The streets were littered with blood, the pavement tainted red.

Despite the sun only just starting to set, the sky dark. Filled with the smoke of many demolished lives, only the smallest streaks of light breaking through. It had been so sudden; the air had changed within seconds becoming something that the world had never seen.

The tall man slung the rifle over his shoulder, England wasn't exactly known for its firearms shops and so finding more ammunition would be difficult. Beauregard didn't have time to think about anything else as ran left and right, dodging the bony hands of the limping bodies.

"Shit…" He slipped on the curb, rolling into the middle of the road. "I've got to get somewhere quieter…"

There was a loud scream that echoed through the heavy air, many of the bodies turned towards the sound and stumbled towards it.

Beauregard stayed on the floor, perfectly still as the beings stumbled passed.

"They can't…" he swallowed the lump in his throat, "see me?"

In the distance, he could see a hoard surrounding a flickering streetlight. Their hands reaching up to a small figure that was holding on for dear life halfway up the pole, there was another scream as the figure's feet slipped and they slid slightly down the pole. They groaned, kicking the hands away and somehow pulling themselves back up the light.

Beauregard picked himself off the ground, moving out of the road and quietly sticking to the shadows. He walked towards the light, wondering if there was a possibility that he could save this person - who was literally clinging on for their life.

The light flicked on again, this time staying on as it was finally becoming darker.

Blonde hair was flowing messily in the wind, lightly tanned skin sparkling in sweat as she had her legs and arms wrapped tightly around the light.

"A girl?"

She growled again, her arms shaking as her strength was weakening.

"Shit." Beauregard raced forwards, pulling a broken pry bar from a motorbike wheel and taking the firearm off his back.

He cleared the first few bodies with the pry bar, knocking them to the ground. Once he was close enough, he fired his rifle, watching with a sly smirk as the bodies fell to the ground one by one.

"Hey!" The queen's guard yelled at the small girl, "jump! I'll catch you!"

A large set of vibrant green eyes stared down at him, glaring and untrusting.

"Come on!" Beauregard kicked another corpse out of the way, finally making a clear space for the girl to land.

The blonde unwrapped her legs, pushing her feet up against the rusting metal. With one strong leap, she flung herself into the air, twisting her body around and aiming straight for the guard.

Beauregard didn't think she would jump so quick; he barely had a second to throw his rifle over his shoulder and catch the small girl in his arms. The air was forced from his lungs as the girl slammed into his chest harshly, he stumbled backwards, barely staying on his feet.

"Thank you…"

Beauregard placed the petite girl on the floor, her legs shook weakly, and she finally had the chance to catch her breath.

Beauregard growled and pulled on her arm, "no time to rest, we have to go!"

They had drawn too much attention to themselves, the shadows of death drawing in closer and closer. Beauregard took off, dragging the girl behind him and racing into the nearest alleyway. Beauregard couldn't exactly place the reason why he had saved the girl… maybe it was because she resembled his sister. She had a different shade of blonde hair, but their eyes were practically identical.

There was a small doorway, the guard pulled them into it, hiding them within the dark. Beauregard took the time to sit down, everything finally catching up with him.

A few hours ago, he was defending his post just like any other day, watching as everyone continued their normal lives, but within a split second, he was now killing the very people of his country that he was sworn to protect.

Beauregard barely had a second to breathe as a baseball bat collided with the bricks next to him, his body moved on its own, immediately grasping the end of the bat and forcing the end of the weapon into the chest of its owner.

"Ah!" The owner fell to the floor, taking another figure with him.

Beauregard sneered as he swung the bat above his head, ready to bring it down on deadly beings.

"Woah! Hey, stop!" A deep voice called urgently.

Beauregard looked down, staring into the eyes of two young men. Both of the breathless men shared a similar shade of black hair and green eyes, however, looked nothing alike, it was obvious the two were not related. They continued to stare at one another, the most tanned of the men narrowing his gaze darkly, as if he was untrusting of the blonde. Beauregard recognised the scornful man from a few hours earlier; it was the ASDA worker who had bumped into him. He sighed, lowering the bat, "you two kids are so lucky."

"Kids?" Drake sneered with a detestable glare, as he identified the uniform that belonged to a grenadier guard.

"I'm thirty-two years old," Beauregard returned the bat to Drake, not knowing if it was truly wise to do so. Something about the young man seemed… off. "You are most certainly a kid to me."

Jack placed a hand on Drake's arm, noticing that the muscles were completely tense under his long-sleeved shirt. The younger pulled his arm away sharply, unused to the contact. Jack knew they had no reason to act as if they were friends, for this was, in fact, the first time they had ever really conversed. But he could almost feel his neighbour's hatred filling the small alleyway, and it was beginning to get uncomfortable.

Awkwardness grew in the air and everyone separated slightly, using the quiet space to think over what they had just lived through. With so much happening in such a short time, it was a shock that they had even survived.

The small girl watched everyone's lack of interaction carefully, her large eyes darting from person to person. She felt tiny compared to the men, who all easily towered over her at six foot. Her hair blew in the wind, the blonde locks caked in dirt and blood, something she wanted more than anything to wash out. But there was nothing she could do, for she was tired and wanted only to feel safe and warm in the arms of her family.

The four sat in silence, realising that this was now their world... a world of desolation and hunger.

The sky was now dark, the moon hiding behind thick clouds of smoke in the sky. Gone was the warm breeze from before and in its place stood a cold stillness, one that sent chills up the spines of the living.

"So… I'm Alice, thanks for helping me out."

"Beauregard." The guard huffed, running a hand over his face

"I'm Jack, Jack Hall!"

Alice couldn't help but feel warm as Jack gave her a kind smiled, there was something about him that made her feel calm, much like a big brother would. Not that she had any idea what that was like, for she herself was an only child.

Jack then pointed to the last young man, who looked away from them with apathy. "That's Drake, we just came from Rosen Apartments."

Alice's thought process froze, for she knew there was a chance that her darkest thoughts were true, yet her mind didn't want to believe it. She bit her lip lightly, "you're the guys from room eight-zero-five and eight-zero-six? Right?"

"Yeah, are you also a resident there?"

Beauregard noticed the sudden change in the girl, almost immediately was all fighting spirit gone and was replaced with a sense of fear that was too overwhelming for her young body.

"Yeah," She swallowed the bile rising up in her throat, "room eight-zero-four."

Jack and Drake both knew the room she was talking about, for they both knew the grandmother that lived in that apartment very well. Neither said anything, for the death of that old woman, was still playing in their minds on repeat, the blood, the stench, her screams. Jack closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to be the one to break the news to the poor teenager.

"Is my grandmother alright?"

"She…"

Alice stood, standing under Jack's nose, "she is my only family, please tell me she is alright."

"She didn't make it." Drake's said lowly, saving Jack from the pain.

"No!" Alice yelled, her emerald eyes shining.

Drake slammed his baseball bat into the wall, "shut up, don't be so loud."

Knowing that her only living family member was gone was a hard blow to Alice, there was no one left in the world to care for her. She lowered herself to her knees, holding back her tears. The men watched in silence, none of them knowing how to reassure her that everything would be okay… when truthfully, they themselves didn't know if they really would survive.

Beauregard took charge, changing the subject, "we have to get away from the city."

Drake slouched further against the wall, "no shit sherlock."

"Listen," Beauregard sighed, feeling his frustration growing, "my plan was to head to Dover with the hope that the ferries are still running, getting off the mainland is the best bet. You are all welcome to come, just be prepared to face the worst."

"You have everything planned out then?"

Beauregard gave a strong nod, thinking of his dear sister, "yeah, but there are always unforeseen circumstances."

A loud screeching sound from outside the alleyway caught their attention, shocking them slightly and causing them to jump to a tensed position. The sound was similar to that of someone dangerously breaking a large vehicle, without a care for the world around them. A very pissed off shouting was soon followed, "You can all go fuck yourselves!"

"What the hell is going on now?" Drake groaned, irritated that there wouldn't be much more time to rest.

Jack readjusted the bag on his back, "why don't we go find out?"

"We better hurry." Alive whispered, she pointed down the alleyway, "we have company."

* * *

"_Oh, the good, the bad and the dirty_!" Skylar's phone danced violently across the kitchen counter as the song blared loudly, signalling a phone call. The small woman looked up at Lane with worry, as the noise made the beings on the other side of the door more restless. The two were using all their leftover strength to hold the door of the kitchen closed as body after body rammed themselves against it.

"Grab your phone!" Lane gritted through her teeth. A sudden harsh impact made them both shrieked as they were knocked off their feet, yet they somehow scrambled back to the door, forcing it tightly shut.

The curly-haired woman turned to Lane, "You got the door?"

Lane seated herself on the kitchen floor, wedging her feet up against the counter to hold herself in place, "yes, go!"

Bare feet slapped against the grey laminate flooring as Skylar quickly ran from the door and raced to grab her phone. Fumbling with the mobile as she tried not to drop it, she answered the phone, not even checking the caller ID, "Hello?"

"Skylar?!" A deep voice roared; the girl winced pulling the phone away from her ear. Seth gave a joyous laugh, "¡gracias al cielo estás vivo! ¿Dónde está?"

"English Seth!"

"Lo siento- wait, I mean... no… what's the word? Ah, sorry! That's it, I'm sorry! I can't think when I'm panicking!" His breath was laboured, "but thank god… thank god you're alright..."

She could almost feel the terror on his voice, for it was rare that something could scare him to the point where he was struggling with the English language. They were always there for one another during the hardest times, but now they were unable to look out for one another. Skylar, however, would look after Lane with her life, being there just as a big sister would… even if she was a good four inches shorter than the younger woman.

"Seth calm down."

A deep, shaky breath sounded.

The girls quickly glanced at one another, Lane raising an eyebrow as she didn't know what exactly was happening. Skylar's face turned serious, almost motherly, "Where are you?"

"I'm in the canteen, I have to find Issac before anything else."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, somewhere in the kitchen," A door slammed loudly, "I'm not alone though, I'm with a guy named Keith, who is honest to god the most depressing guy I've ever met-"

There was another voice from the phone, one that was much quieter and higher pitched than Seth's, who Skylar assumed was Keith, "go fuck yourself Blondie."

"Shh!" The Scotsman hissed, "Skylar, where are you?" His breath was deep as he rushed his words, "are you still in the apartment, are the others okay?"

Skylar seethed placing a hand against her head, "slow down Seth, I can't understand what you're saying!"

Normally Seth could keep his accent under control, and he had trained himself to hold back after being compared to Stoick the Vast by his housemates one too many times. But there were the times – when he was too upset or angry to notice - that he couldn't hold back, and he would either forget how to speak English or slip up in his accent.

"Okay, okay, are you alright, where's Lane?" There was another loud bang, yet, it was followed by a high scream, "Is she alright?"

"Dude calm down, I'm with Lane, I didn't know you loved her more than me. I'm hurt."

Lane strained her body, forms slammed into the other side of the door loudly, attracted to the sounds of their voices. The deep blue eyes of Lane locked onto a smirking Skylar, her cheeks growing warm from the older student's insinuated teasing. Somehow, with all that was happening to them, the young adults still knew how to have playing banter between one another.

"Gracias a dios and just so you know I love you both equally, now, where are you?"

"We're trapped in the kitchen; we didn't even get a chance to leave to meet you. Maddy opened the front door when she heard screaming, now she and the others are trying to attack us."

There was another thump, followed sharply by more and more.

"Wait, you're still in our apartment?"

"Yeah."

Seth fell quiet and he thought about what to do, he had pulled the phone away and Skylar could hear him yelling at Keith, they were seemingly having an argument, something Seth rarely got into. This Keith guy must really be getting under his skin. Despite hating getting into arguments, Seth would never back down, he knew how to get his own way like the stubborn bastard he was. After a few more seconds of discussion the Scotsman spoke to the young woman again, "Right, I'll come and get both of you. Get down to the letterboxes by the entrance, but before you go, I need you to grab something from my room first."

"Really Seth? We don't have time and your room is on the other end of the hall."

"Listen, I know it sounds stupid, but I seriously need these things. I don't know when I'm going to get the chance to find them again. That… and I literally can't live without them," Seth's voice cracked, "Please Skye."

Lane looked over to the older women with a questionable look, "What's wrong?"

"Seth needs something from his room."

"Is it important?"

"He says he can't live without it."

Lane took a deep breath, thinking about what they could do, it was possible for them to get to Seth's room, but it wouldn't be easy. Multiple plans racked through her mind one by one, each one being thought about, again and again, her mind arguing with itself to determine the best one. It was times like this she hated herself, as she was unable to make a decision that could potentially affect someone else.

In the end, Lane knew that if Seth really needed something it was indeed serious, and that was enough for her to decide to act. Her quickly mind became a warzone for another few seconds.

Eventually, she concluded that there was only one way out of this… and that was through the front door.

"What is it that you need?" Skylar turned the phone on speaker and nudged Lane to listen in.

Seth sighed in relief, "Thank you, I owe you both huge favours if you get these for me. Okay, so there's a small black shoulder bag in the back of my wardrobe, I need that and then in my bathroom under the sink there's a white box with a red handle, a bit like a first aid kit but there's nothing on it, I need that as well."

Skylar frowned, "What's so special about those bags that you will die without them?"

"Get them and then I'll tell you; it's a private matter of mine." Seth seethed on the other end of the phone.

The two women fell silent, staring at one another, neither one knew what Seth kept in his room that was so important, honestly, Lane was dreading going in there. But for the first time since meeting him, Seth had never sounded so grave before. The American had never heard him speak with such a desperate tone, it was clear as day that he needed those bags.

"How long until you get here?" Lane asked, using her long legs to pull her fencing bag over.

"Soon, I hope..." Seth whispered, "But I promise I will get to you no matter what, I'll find a car or something. Just be downstairs in about twenty minutes."

"How are you going to find a car?"

"I don't know, I'll think of something, just get down there!"

Lane unzipped her fencing bag and pulled out one of her brand-new sabres, the blade shining under the kitchen light, the end was blunt, but it wouldn't take much for her to force its way through a being or two. She quickly pulled the hairband off her wrist, tying her hair back up into its usual tight ponytail, pushing the last few strands out of her eyes. With a bright smile, the blonde turned to Skylar, reassuring her that everything would be alright.

Skylar closed her eyes, expression becoming dark, "don't be late, idiot." She quickly hung up and ran a hand through her curly hair letting out a stressed breath, "this better be some life or death shit he's making us get, if it's not he's going to have hell to pay. I will not be scared to spank him into the next world."

Lane raised an eyebrow, "you really don't know what he wants?"

"Nope," Skylar shook her head, "Seth may seem boisterous and carefree, but he is actually a very secretive person, like in the four years I've known him, I've never been in his room, I don't think anyone has, not even his partners or the people he's slept with."

Lane's mouth dropped slightly, "I... definitely didn't need to know that..."

Almost immediately there was a sense of dread of what they would find in Seth's bedroom, the guy wasn't the cleanest and honestly… it made Lane feel a little sick in her stomach. But she couldn't think about the young man's bad habits now, there were more important things to think about… surviving being at the top of the list.

The two had fallen silent, both knowing what they had to do…

The sky outside was turning dark, much too early for the summertime, unnatural, black clouds filled the atmosphere… turning the world into a dangerous place.

It was now or never.

The mismatched eyes of Skylar gazed around the kitchen, feeling a pang of sadness as she saw the beautiful cake that she made earlier sitting untouched on the side. Next to the cake laid out neatly was the Iridescent five-piece knife set, which Seth had got her for her twenty-third birthday. The blades were clean, shining with many colours as the light hit them, "I'm going to grab those knives, you alright holding the door again?"

"Yeah," Lane stood, pushing her weight up against the door more. Skylar raced over and gathered the knives pulling the protective covers over four of the blades and pocketed them. She held onto the other two as she rushed back over to the door, just as a particularly large force hammered against it.

"Seth's room is the left corner room at the end of the corridor, we have to get past our four other housemates who seemingly want to eat us and anyone else, as Maddy left the freaking front door open."

"So at least four targets..." Lane muttered, "How's your aim?"

"Perfect." Skylar threw the knife in the air and caught it smoothly. "Ready?"

"Of course."

With one final breath each, they were prepared to begin their battle.

They both moved away from the door and it flew open sharply, the broken teeth of two large beings reached for them, bodies mangled and twisted. Fingers clawed in the air and roars of hunger assaulted their eardrums. It was followed by a stench, a scent of death that was utterly sickening.

As their survival instincts took over, Lane advanced and used her sabre to stab through the eye socket of the first being, the blade curved as it sank deep into its head. The large body fell to its knees, bones cracking sickly, jaw hanging open and arms swinging heavily at its sides. Lane pulled out the blade and swung it down, sending a clean spatter of blood and sticky fluid to the floor.

"Nice shot." Skylar gave a devious grin. The second being clumsily tripped over the first, slowly hitting the kitchen floor. Before the body had the chance to stand Skylar slammed her largest knife into the top of its head, squeamishly looking away. She refused to open her eyes, "did I kill it?"

"Yep," Lane gave a soft smile, placing a hand on Skylar's shoulder, "You killed it."

The taller woman helped the other to her feet and they both tiptoed to the door, peering around the edge. Fortunately, there were only two more bodies stumbling around the corridor, both of which were previously their other roommates.

"I think our best option is to get rid of them," Skylar whispered, and Lane nodded in agreement, leaning on the smaller woman slightly. They quietly pulled the door shut, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Skylar let out a breath, "if we can shut the front door it'll stop more from coming in, we'll have a chance to get what we need from Seth's room."

"We can also grab some supplies and then leave to meet Seth, hopefully, he'll be here."

"If not, we can kick his backside."

Skylar never failed to make Lane smile, even in the darkest of times.

"So, one each…" Lane whispered, "think you can get to the front door?"

"Without attracting either of them?" Skylar bit her lip, "no chance. That door latch is louder than me drunk."

"Then we have to take them out at the same time."

Skylar nodded, but upon looking closer she noticed that the corpses still had features that resembled that of the living, skin flushed pink yet eyes clouded over. Skylar felt her empathy disappearing slowly, another part of herself taking over, "remember they are no longer our friends, our roommates. We have to get rid of them."

Lane's eyes grew wide… This was a side of Skylar she had never seen before; gone was the sweet yet mature young woman and in her place someone who was ready to destroy those in her way. But she didn't have time to think, Skylar was already on the move, her curvy body quick and delicate as she ran forth, a blade in either hand.

The small woman slammed the nearest body into the wall with her shoulder, its groans were loud, rumbling in the deepest part of its throat. A second later the metallic blade was forced into the being's temple and its body fell still, becoming the lifeless corpse it should have always been.

"Goodbye, Declan." Skylar muttered, then she turned to Lane who was awestruck in the kitchen doorway, "the last one's yours!"

Lane swiftly came to her senses and stepped forth; her form perfect as she once again pushed her blade through the air. The end of the sabre pinged down the corridor as it broke through the back of the beings open mouth, hitting the wall with an amazing force. The small corpse screeched, blood spraying from its mouth, dirtying Lane's clothes in a disgusting crimson stain. Lane looked away, not wanting to look at the body of one of the people she had grown to love over the last year.

There was a loud crash as Skylar slammed the apartment door shut, relieved that they were safe, even if it was for a second. She safely stored the kitchen knives, curly hair bouncing, "let's do this quickly so we can get out of here!"

The two jogged over to the end of the corridor, grabbing the door handle to Seth's bedroom, they only had mere minutes to get everything they needed.

Time was not one their side, as all around them they knew there was so much more death and destruction to come.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Skylar and Lane stared into the open room that belonged to their bisexual housemate.

"Does he even do his washing, scratch that does he know what a washing basket is?" Lane asked, refusing to step into the room. She found herself gripping the locket that was tight around her neck, feeling a sense of comfort as she did so.

Clothes lay thrown about the room, which seemed to be a mixture of both clean and dirty. Papers and books laid about the floor, bed and desk; it was a wonder that Seth could sleep in such a space. Thankfully the window was open, meaning there wasn't a stale smell of a hormonal adult, which both Skylar and Lane were grateful for.

"You want the bathroom or wardrobe?" Skylar kicked a magenta jumper out of the way.

Lane noticed the wardrobe was next to the door and pointed to it, deciding it would be the lesser of two evils. As the smaller woman disappeared into the bathroom, Lane opened the sticker-covered wooden doors, and unorganised mess of brightly colours jumpers and shoes were thrown into the wardrobe. Lane used the sabre to push the clothing out of the way.

Sat at the bottom of the wardrobe - true to Seth's words - was a small black shoulder bag. The bag was simple, with a bright 'SS' embroidered in the corner, Lane smiled, finding the work beautiful.

"Okay," Lane slung the bag over her shoulder along with her fence bag, "lets gets some supplies and get out of here!"

The two gathered everything they could carry, from spare clothes to snacks and bottles of water and with rucksacks strapped tightly to their backs, they were ready to leave.

Turning out the lights behind them and leaving the scent of the freshly baked cake behind, they braved their way out into the world.

For they knew it was only going to get harder and they were ready for anything…

* * *

**Holy mother of god... over 7000 words.**

**So this is very late, mainly because I messed up, I also broke my knuckle and stuff happened at home :3 Zero my editor thank yoooooooou, much love to you.**

**But we are up now.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_Ave Maria!_

_Jungfrau mild_

_Erhöre deiner Kinder Flehen_

_im Tal der Tränen sei uns Schild_

_lass mein Gebet zu dir hinwehen_

_Wir schlafen sicher bis zum Morgen_

_dein Sternenmantel deckt uns zu_

_O Jungfrau, siehe unsere Sorgen_

_O schenke unsern Herzen Ruh!_

_Ave Maria!_

_Ave Maria!_

_Reine Magd!_

_Wir wollen gläubig dir vertrauen_

_du süsse Jungfrau, unverzagt_

_voll Hoffnung zu dir aufwärts schauen_

_und still uns Gottes Willen beugen_

_da uns dein heilger Trost anweht_

_O Jungfrau, wolle hold dich neigen_

_dem Kind, das bittend zu dir fleht_

_Ave Maria!_

That was the final song sung at the St. Margaret's Chapel.

It was a beautiful ending to such a disturbing beginning.

As the convent fell quiet for the last time, all hell was breaking loose around the world. They wouldn't know about the destruction of the world and its inhabitants until it was way too late for them, their families would already be lost, their friends dead and their country doomed. There was no way that they could overcome such a tragedy on such short notice, it was far too late by the time the sunset over the horizon.

For on a day with no rain, England had fallen.

It was unknown to whether or not the rest of the world was suffering the same fate, and in the disorder that was now the world, it was impossible to know if they would ever find out. Within twenty-four hours almost all of England's major cities had fallen, the plague slowly spreading from one person to another.

No one was safe in this new world that was the apocalypse.

The blood and disease would now be the norm for them, and they would have to survive, they would fight, and they would have to kill to save themselves.

But not everyone was ready for this new world.

In St. Margaret's Chapel, no one was prepared for what was coming their way.

For a hoard had formed… and they had no idea.

Fires roared as the dead walked onwards, driven by the scent of blood. They could smell it, they wanted it.

It was a quiet night in the chapel, many of the dear sisters having already turned in for the night. Little did they know that this night would be one that some of them would never live through. With every second that passed the living were closer to joining the side of the dead, it wasn't a future anyone wanted.

By the time the sun disappeared the world was different, the world was new.

A single prayer stood for everything she held dear, her friends, her family and her faith…

Nothing else was important to her.

For nothing else was left.

Footsteps echoed against the stone walls of the convent, bouncing delicately off every single figure. The sky was dark with thick black clouds, the last streaks of sunlight shining through the stain-glass windows. On any other day, the mere image would have been beautiful, however, this day was not like the ones that had happened before. Even now, only hours into the outbreak, blood had stained the historic artwork, tarnishing the hall a deep crimson.

Gone was all the beauty of the chapel, in its place stood the nightmarish sight of a historical building of death. Bodies slowly being engulfed no matter what way the survivors took. The sisters who resided within the chapel had scattered, awaking from their sleep to a world that was already lost.

Some of them prayed, praying to the Lord up above for guidance and good fortune. Yet, as they wished for a way out, they were cornered, torn apart, eaten. Until there was nothing left that resembled a human. Few had escaped into the world, but most were still trapped, unable to fight for their lives anymore.

Though, one human was fighting.

She was a sister who was willing to fight.

She was willing to save herself.

The home she had grown to know, and love was already overrun, it was a demonic sight, the blood, the death, and the pure fear that was crawling its way around her veins. As she ran through the main hall her eyes couldn't help but dart from body to body… somehow it was hard to believe what was really happening. It didn't seem real that people were eating people, it was something out of books and horror movies, never real life.

Within the shadows she stayed concealed, hiding and tiptoeing through the bloodshed. Cautiously she stepped over the bodies of her sisters, their skin pale as they had already been forgotten by the main hoard, however, their fingers twitched, they were already beginning to rise.

It was all a blur. She couldn't really remember what had happened, she had fallen asleep like any other day. But early that morning there was a single sound, one that changed her life forever.

A single scream rattling through the chapel had woken Marie from her slumber.

It hadn't taken Marie long to find the source and little did she know it was something she would never be able to unsee.

For in front of the gates, the dear, elderly mother superior was mutilated before her eyes, her skin pulled from the bones as easily as an orange's peel. Her bright eyes rolled back into her head as disjointed teeth scratched at the flesh.

That was all it took.

Marie was the first to run.

Her priorities already decided.

As she ran back to her room the sight of the elderly sister being devoured was locked in her memory, the being that fed on her flesh, a psychopathic cannibal. A creature that shouldn't have existed within reality.

Never in her life did Marie think she would have to use the firearm her brother had given her. After all, this was England, firearms were next to non-existent in everyday society. By the time she had grabbed the weapon and the few belongings she owned, Marie was surrounded. A monster blocking the exit to her room. Taking another person's life was something she never dreamed of doing, and yet she knew this beast was no longer human.

Memories of her childhood had come back to her at that moment. Never had she been so thankful for her father and her older brothers for teaching her all she knows.

When she had taken the first shot it was like muscle memory took over, her mind was blank.

Two shots was all it took

The first was a single gunshot to the chest, yet, this had no effect on the monster, it still moved forward, step by agonizing step. But, the second shot was the winner, a well-aimed shot to the head made the body fall instantaneously.

Marie had escaped the start, which took her to where she was now; slowly walking through the main hall, in an attempt to escape. Getting out of there alive was the most important thing, nothing else mattered.

Now, it was a race.

A race to get out of the chapel she called home.

"No!" Marie gasped, tripping over the carcass of one of the girls she had grown to love as a dear friend. She hit the floor with a thump, her robes growing heavy with the blood it was slowly gathering. But she couldn't take it off, Marie refused to remove it. It was a challenge to get back to her feet, her body already felt so heavy.

It was a well-known fact that the small door at the back of the hall was attached to the gardens and allotments, behind there it would only be a short run to the main road that could get her safely out of there.

Every step was painful.

She knew she could help them, all she could do was look away as they were herded like cattle, the hoard closing in on them. Marie ran, covering her ears as the screams grew louder and louder. The hoard was feeding, eating and enjoying every single human it could get its malevolent hands on. It made Marie feel sick down to her stomach, she wanted to die with them, she wanted it all to end.

Why was she even trying to escape?

What was the point of escaping if the outside world was potentially only so much worse?

"Why?" she whispered, her feet still moving towards the back door, even if it was against her will. "God, please just tell me why?"

Even then, her feet never stopped. Before he knew it, Marie was at the secluded side door.

The question still pounded against her head: why? Why? Why!

Just why?

"Beauregard..."

She reached for the door handle.

A growl sounded behind her, within a second she could feel the arms surrounding her, wanting her, begging for her flesh.

_BANG_!

Marie shoved the small pistol into the chin of the being, the skull erupting on impact, splattering fluid over everything nearby, including Marie. The thick liquid felt almost like it was burning, it felt sticky, it felt vile… it was so wrong….

"Oh my gosh… Oh dear god, forgive me…" Her breath hitched, "please forgive me."

The monsters had locked in on the sound of the gunshot, ignoring everything else and stumbling towards the only shivering nun left alive. Marie didn't waste another second, she ran. Marie exploded from the hall and into the gardens, where the fruit and vegetables she lived off were still growing healthy like the world was unchanged. The race across the small allotments was short. She knew the way through the maze of vegetation like the back of her hand, as she sprinted on her chest hurt, she was scared. Terrified. But she was going to get out of there, and she was going to survive.

"Never thought I'd be the one to climb over the old stone wall."

The wall was easily over six foot and extremely unstable, barely solid enough to hold her weight as she struggled to climb to the top. It felt like a mountain, never had she experienced something so taxing on her body. Her hands were bleeding, skin scraped completely off from her palms, it stung dreadfully as dirt invaded her body. Despite all the hardships, reaching the top was like something out of a story, a horror story, but none the less, still a story.

The sight of her chapel was heart-breaking, hands clawed up at Marie as she stood on top of the wall.

"Goodbye, I pray we will meet again. God, please… allow for every soul to rest in peace."

She jumped.

The ground below was not pleasant to land on. There was a low crack as her ankle gave way, "no!"

This couldn't happen now! She had to bite back the pain, she had to. And so, she did.

Every step towards the main road was agony, every twitch and sound made her jump. She kept a tight grip on her pistol as she limped forward. A determined look spread across her face as the road came into view, "Beauregard, I will find you. You better still be alive!"

"Hey, Sister!"

"Huh?"

Marie looked up; blue orbs wide as she saw the bright red fire engine before her eyes. How had she missed it? It was a freaking fire engine.

"You alright?" A kind man stepped from the driver's seat, his face young but body well matured, a uniform stretched across his chest: Dover Fire and Rescue. Marie suddenly heard a sound behind her, the groans of the dead returned, and she knew they only had seconds to get out of there. She stepped forwards, body collapsing as her ankle had finally given up. But the firefighter was quick on his feet as he grabbed her gently, lifting the tiny woman into his arms, "I got you!"

"Uh…" Marie stumbled over her words, but the only thing that worried her was the sounds of the monsters that were only growing nearer.

"Sorry, but we have to go." The young man climbed into the fire engine, placing Marie into the passenger seat as he slammed the door shut. Within seconds he had pulled away, managing to ram into a group of gutted bodies as they stumbled out of the field. "We'll be fine! Don't worry, I will get us out of here."

Marie closed her eyes, grabbing the rosary cross around her neck as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was alive, she had made it out, somehow, she had survived.

"My name is Dent, by the way, Dent Rivia." A goofy grin grew on the firefighter's lips, he was a bright ray of sunshine in the never-ending world of death. "What's your name, Sister?"

She took a deep breath, calming herself, "Sister Marie…. Sister Marie Beausejour."

* * *

**Ave Maria - Franz Schubert**

**Don't own song, blah blah blah. Usual crap.**

**Short chapter this time as the next one is loooooong.**

**Little later update than I wanted because I had a new years party, so HAPPY NEW YEARS FROM ENGLAND! I wish you all the best in 2020! **

**Next update: After 13 January 2020**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"So, what's in the bags?"

Seth smirked, leaning forwards and using a finger to bring Keith's face closer to his own, "wouldn't you like to know."

"Get away from me, Blondie." Blue eyes narrowed as he pushed the taller man away. The two returned to jogging towards the kitchens, hoping to find Issac. The kitchens were on the floor below the dining hall and accessible by three different routes, however getting there wasn't going to be easy; the hallways were already a bloodbath, lifeless beings feeding on anyone they could get their grip on.

Seth peered around the corner, leading the way through the unnervingly quiet path. They walked softly; keeping their footsteps light. Keith slightly weaved from side to side with every small stride he took.

"Are you drunk or something?"

"If I was drunk you would know," Keith swapped his violin to the other hand, wobbling as he lost balance.

It was a wonder to Seth why the younger student was bringing such items with him, surely there was no need for them in this world anymore, "are those instruments really going to be any help, shouldn't you get rid of them and make it easier on yourself?"

Keith scowled at Seth, "they're worth over ten thousand pounds together, are you shitting me?"

Seth looked over his shoulder and met with Keith's blue eyes, it was obvious that the smaller man had a strong attachment to the instruments, something that was far more than just money. Keith's grip had tightened on the violin case, his gaze dropping to the floor. The two fell into an uncomfortable silence, the only sounds were the faraway screams of lives being lost.

The main route to the kitchen was through the Terrance Bar – the most calming yet popular place on campus – they tiptoed to the stairs of the bar, stopping in their tracks as the only thing they could hear were the screams and cries of those dying a most painful death. With a single look, both Seth and Keith agreed there was no point in risking their lives to get down to the kitchens that way. Yet, that didn't mean Seth was going to give up, he would be damned if he ever abandoned one of his lifelong friends.

Lights in the hallway flickered, making it difficult to see three feet in front of them. Since the dining hall, there were no signs of anyone, living or dead. However, there were pools of blood decorating the once shiny floor and the further they walked the larger the pools grew. Bloody foot and handprints smeared across every surface…

It just didn't make sense… Hours earlier everything was right with the world, people were happily living their lives with no troubles. But now, everything had changed, and the living's only choices were to run, hide or fight. No one believed that such a thing could ever happen and could have ever caused so much damage could be done in so little time. It seemed impossible…

But this was their world now and nothing could have prepared them for it.

A low rumbled rippled from barely five feet in front of them and Seth froze, Keith bumping into him unhappily.

"Hey, what the fu-" A tanned hand slapped over Keith's mouth.

"Shh!"

Keith tried to pull Seth's hand off his lips, grumbling lowly. Seth could feel Keith's piercings roll against his palm, it was an odd sensation, one that was probably uncomfortable for the other. But Seth stood his ground, holding Keith as still as he could. For ahead of them, was something he really didn't want to get into.

As the lights flickered on, a scene of death came into view… An unfortunate soul - one that hadn't made it out in time - was surrounded and was slowly being consumed. Their body, a meal for those who had succumbed to the cannibalistic side. Flesh ripped from the bone, muscle, tendons and skin all being hastily devoured. The creatures tore through the body, fighting one another for the organs, they growled and moaned enjoying the feast before them.

A queasiness grew in their stomachs, Seth looking away before he was sick, neither man had ever witnessed such a sight before. They slowly started to take quiet steps back and away from the horror, Seth finally releasing the smaller man's mouth. With the passage before them blocked there was only one other way to the kitchens, one that was probably already overwhelmed with the dead. Every step was a challenge, their shoes leaving red prints with each movement, neither wanted to be caught by the indulging beasts before them.

Unfortunately, trying to sneak away wasn't the easiest thing when you were a petite guy who was carrying heavy items. Walking backwards became a challenge for Keith, his short legs barely able to take big enough steps so he was not trodden on by Seth.

Though life never goes the way you want it…

Seth stood on Keith's left trainer…

Keith fell, tripping over his own feet and plummeting to the floor. He tried to grab Seth's shirt with his free hand, missing by millimetres and landing on his behind. The base of the guitar hit the floor and a loud bang echoed down the corridor. The corpse's heads turned slowly, sensing their next meal…

"Fuck…"

Without a second thought, Seth picked Keith off the floor, almost throwing the small man over his shoulder despite the large items he was carrying. Seth took off around the corner, heading for the last way towards the kitchen.

"Hey!" Keith pounded his hands against Seth's shoulders, "Put me down asshole!"

Seth laughed, unable to hold back his amusement, "no chance, mi amor."

"Stop calling me that!"

"How about mi alma gemela?"

"No!"

"Mi pequeño mierda?"

Keith turned slightly red in the face, Seth wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or anger. "Stop it!"

Seth didn't stop running, he could finally see the lift at the end of the corridor. But they weren't alone, the corridor was corrupted with bodies feeding left and right. They growled noticing the presence of the two living men, reaching for the blonde, they're faces devoid of all human emotion. Seth held Keith tightly in his arms, knowing that he was probably going to get punched later for treating him like a princess. They reached the lift, frantically pressing the buttons, trying to summon their only escape. Keith looked down the corridor over Seth's shoulder, blue orbs grew wide as he watched the bodies get closer and closer.

Skin a sickly grey, eyes rolling back into their skulls, flesh falling off the bones. Some were running, some were stumbling slowly, but all were homed in on them, ready to feast on their exhausted bodies.

Ding!

The doors of the lift slowly opened, revealing an empty space. Seth leapt on, kicking the close door button and could only stand and watch as the corpses inched closer. Thankfully, the doors shut before the beings could reach them, sealing them away and leaving them slamming their hands against the metal surface.

Seth finally placed Keith on the floor, getting shoved into the lift mirror by the small man, "even think about doing that again and I will shove my violin bow so far up your arse you won't be walking for a week."

Grey eyes looked warmly down at the reddening man, Keith's brow was twitching, and he was biting his lip, teeth playing with the piercings. Seth guessed that it was a habit for the man when he was frustrated, angry… or maybe a little scared.

"As cute as you are, I'm not into that," Seth smiled, looking in the mirror. Keith stood the other side of the lift, arms crossed over his chest. Eyes locked in on those pale yet discoloured arms, just as they did earlier in the dining hall. Seth wanted to ask about the bruises and where they had come from, but he knew he had no right; Keith probably wouldn't ever let him into his business, no matter how much he wanted to know.

"How can you be so calm right now?" Keith asked, meeting Seth's eyes in the mirror, "a second ago you were almost killed by someone you knew…"

"I find that staying calm is better for the body, doesn't use up as much sugar in the blood." He explained, "besides, I'm the oldest of six siblings, staying calm when mierda hasta el cuello is happening is my job description as a big brother."

"Six…" Keith whispered, now understanding why Seth was so protective of his friends. He closed his eyes, refusing to think about that person he'd been trying so hard to forget. He didn't want to break down because of such a simple thing…

The soft woman's voice of the lift filled the small space, "approaching the second floor."

"Wait… Why did we go up; the kitchens are on the ground floor?"

"It's fine, we'll just go back down when the lift stops."

The doors slowly opened and the two men stiffened, before them was the messiest sight they had ever laid eyes on. Faces turned towards them, their jaws filled with the bleeding flesh of a human, and organs spread across the floor, half-eaten and just left to rot. It only took a second for the bodies to launch at the lift, their vocal cords screeching, calling others towards them.

Keith lunged for the buttons smacking them repeatedly while Seth kicked the hands out the way of the closing doors.

"Close! Close! Close! Close! Fucking close!" Keith screamed, watching as the metal doors shut painfully slowly. Seth managed to kick the head of a corpse out of the lifts way just before the doors sealed for good, "finally…"

The two fell back against the mirror once more, relaxing with a tense breath. Keith stared at Seth, the blonde was slightly giggling to himself, finding their interaction with the dead amusing. Keith narrowed his eyes, resisting the urge to slap the older student…

"If the ground floor is full of zombies, I'm kicking you out and running for the hills."

"Sweetie," Seth slammed his hand into the mirror and leant in close to Keith, forcing them to almost be nose to nose. "Listen, I know I'm not your first choice for a buddy right now, but I'm all you have. After I find my best friend and get my girls, you are very welcome to vete a la mierda."

Keith narrowed his eyes, "and how are you getting out of here?"

"What?"

"I heard you on the phone earlier, you don't have a car, you don't have a way out of this university or to your accommodation, and you most certainly don't have a way out of London." The smaller got on his tiptoes pushing their foreheads together, "don't give me that shit that you're going to be alright in this world."

"And you have a way out?"

Keith shoved a hand into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a set of keys, "I'm the fucking designated driver for the volleyball team, of course, I have a way out."

"Uh…"

Keith expression hadn't changed as he continued to look extremely pissed off, "and don't you dare make a comment about my height, I saw you gawking at my arse when I was playing earlier."

Seth made a grab for the keys, failing as Keith quickly shoved them back into his pocket.

"Approaching the ground floor."

The doors dinged again and slowly opened.

They turned to the door, coming face to face with a messy but empty corridor. Seth backed away from Keith, seeing as he was the one literally forcing the man into a corner.

"Please come with me?"

"What?"

"Come with me." Seth pleaded. The older knew this was the only chance he had to get out with a vehicle big enough to carry a group, "please…"

Keith raised an eyebrow, "what's in it for me?"

"Safety?" Seth smiled, eyes sparkling, "and my dashing company."

"Whatever…" The smaller used his violin to move Seth out the way as he stepped off the lift. "Let's go find your friend."

The two walked down the new corridor, cautious of anything that could jump out at them.

"Where are all the zombies?" Keith whispered.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Seth bit his lip, stomach growling loudly and echoing down the corridor.

"Seriously Blondie?"

A light blush spread across the blonde's cheeks and he gave a nervous laugh, "I haven't eaten since lunch and after all this running I'm starving." He discreetly pulled his mobile out from his pocket and checked the time, cringing when he noticed how late it had got, "two hours overdue…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

As they got closer to the kitchens, noise erupted, crashes, bangs and shouting filled the quiet space.

"There's Issac."

"How do you know."

Seth smirked, "I've known him since he was three and I was five, I know my childhood friend when I hear him."

They took off towards the large doors, slamming into them and bursting into the kitchen. True to what Seth said, there was Issac. The teenager standing on the large kitchen counter, kicking away any being that came close to him.

"I've come to save you mi amor!" Seth yelled cheerfully, he picked up a nearby frying pan from the stove and slammed it into the face of a being that turned to him.

Issac huffed as he jumped over from the centre countertop to the worktop under the window, "as good as it is to see you, a hand would be really appreciated right now, Seth!"

"Don't ruin my heroic moment Issac!" There was a loud dong as Seth smacked another body across the head, "hey, mi pequeño mierda are you going to help?"

"What is it with you and the French?" Keith stayed behind Seth, using his violin case to knock any nearby bodies to the floor.

"Don't insult my heritage you uncultured swine, it's Spanish!"

Issac shouted across the kitchen, "you're fucking Scottish!"

"Shh, don't expose my secrets!" Seth laughed, swinging his frying pan once more.

Keith shoved Seth on the back, forcing him further into the kitchen. Seth knew that the guy wasn't going to be helpful in the slightest, Keith only had one drive and that was to get out of there.

"Issac get that window open!"

"It doesn't open!" He pulled on the latch to prove his point, "do you think I would have stayed here if it would've open?"

"Touché."

"Fucking smash it then!" Keith exclaimed, once again swinging his now bloodstained case in a large semi-circle.

Issac quickly rummaged through his bag, pulling out one of his laptop chargers. He started to swing the end with the plug around in large circles, unintentionally but thankfully knocking over a hungry beast at the same time. With one single swift motion, he sent the end flying into the glass and then pulled it back sharply, there was a loud crash as the huge window shattered as if it was an explosion. Splinters of glass spread outside and across the room, even reaching Seth and Keith.

"Woah!" Keith grabbed Seth's collar, forcing him to be a wall between the shards and himself.

"Let me go!" Seth stumbled backwards as the smaller man held onto him, struggling to stay on his feet.

"Come on!" Issac yelled, using his charger to knock more bodies to the floor and keeping most of the attention on himself. The hoard was focused on the brunette, their fingers and hunger desperate for him.

Seth managed to pry his pink shirt free from Keith's grip, "you're going to rip it!"

"Do I look like I care?"

Issac slapped his hand against the wall three times, "today would be nice people!"

The frying pan in Seth's hand contacted another distorted face, the nose cracking and almost falling off. Seth noticed that Issac had cleared most of the way to the window, bodies littered the floor, some still trying to drag their way towards Issac with their broken fingers. He grabbed Keith's wrist and jumped up onto the counter, pulling the smaller man as if he was a suitcase. There was a scream from Keith as he banged his knee on the side and landed on his front.

"What the fuck Blondie? A bit of warning next time!"

Seth sighed, helping Keith to his feet and then pulling him toward Issac.

"Let's go!"

Issac grabbed the top of the window ledge and swung his feet through the large gap, it wasn't a high drop, but the landing wasn't as graceful as he would have hoped. Loose gravel stones slipped out from underneath his feet; the skin scraped off his palms as he skidded across the ground. His eyes darted around, ready for the first signs of any danger. But it was empty, there was no one around, living or otherwise.

"Incoming!"

Issac looked up and barely managed to move out the way as Seth fell from the window, laughing loudly as he slipped and landed on his arse. The laughter was contagious, as Issac found himself quietly sniggering. Issac gave a hand to Seth, helping him up, they smiled at one another before looking back up to the window, where Keith was standing there, frozen.

A slightly red Seth called, "Keith, come on!" Seth had his arms up, "I'll catch you!"

Keith spared a single look behind him and gritted his teeth, he threw his violin case out the window, it was quickly followed by the guitar case and rucksack.

"Okay, now you!" Issac shouted, grabbing the bags for Keith.

Keith, however, wasn't exactly moving at his fastest. He carefully put his legs out the window, mindful of the large shards. A breath got caught in his throat as his white shorts snagged on a piece of glass, he found himself looking back into the kitchen.

Blue eyes turned wide as a corpse was dead in front of him…

"Shit…"

He had no idea what to do, his stomach did a somersault, and in pure fear he let go of the window, falling backwards. The jaws of the corpse reached for him, missing by inches. There was a shriek from the being as it landed on the glass, his throat impaled by the jagged surface. Blood spewed from its mouth and throat, slowly dripping down the brick wall.

Keith collided with Seth's chest, both tumbling to the ground. Seth had his arms wrapped tightly around Keith's waist, surprised by how slender and light the man was, "see, I caught you."

Keith wiggled his way out of Seth's grip, scrambling to his feet yet skidding slightly on the gravel. He raced towards Issac snatching his belonging back and checking them over for damage. Eyes shaking as he rushed to make sure all of his belongings were still in one piece.

"Not even a thank you?" Issac asked, "you're such a jerk."

Keith's reply was a middle finger. He slung his bag and instrument cases over his tiny body, moving them into a comfortable position before walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I'm not staying here with them coming for us." Keith pointed to the broken window; where multiple bodies were forcing themselves through the large space, getting stuck as the glass ripped the flesh from the bones. "So, I'm going to the car park."

The two Scotsmen spared a look to one another, the brunette asked, "he has a car?"

"He has a minibus."

The two chased after Keith, following the small man who was now running down the path. More beings appeared as they got deeper into the university grounds, many were feasting, others were stalking. The few living people were running in all directions, trying to find the safest way out. They reached the car park, breaths loud and sweat running down their foreheads.

But they were not alone.

Cannibalistic beasts stumbled in every direction, dead eyes turning towards them. Seeing them, hearing them…

"Let's get out of here!" Seth yelled, sprinting into the lead and the two younger men following close behind. Every breath they took was deep, but they couldn't stop running, they had to escape. Issac was close behind Seth managing to keep up, but slowly falling behind was Keith.

Seth looked over his shoulder, grey eyes widen, "Keith! Behind you, look out!"

The small man sneered, skidding to a stop and swinging his violin case violently in a large circle. The end collided with the exposed chin of a bloody being, the grey skin ripping and jaw dislocating from the rest of the head. The body fell to the gravel, moaning as the impact had not killed it. Keith let out a deep breath and looked around, there were more, so many more.

It was a massacre.

"Holy shit." Keith gave the body a sharp kick before turning and racing after Seth and Issac. The car park was full of cars that belonged to the faculty and students of the university. In the far bays sat three minivans, one belonged to the academic degrees, while the other two belonged to the university sports teams. Keith yelled to Issac, "tell Blondie it's the blue bus!"

"Seth," Issac yelled, "blue one!"

With a nod, Seth ran faster, his ash-blonde fringe swaying side to side.

"Give me your bag, you're running way to slow," Issac ordered, slowing down to help the music student by taking his rucksack, which Keith reluctantly agreed to. The bag was eerily heavy as Issac threw it over his free shoulder, something he was not expecting. It was no wonder Keith was struggling to keep up with them. Issac decided not to comment about the bag, however, he did have questions about the vehicle, "so did you steal the keys or something?"

Keith scoffed, "does my holey appearance make me seem like that much of a bad student?"

"It's just that…"

"Shut it, I know what you were thinking." Keith hissed, "my team were supposed to drive to Southampton for our volleyball game, but things changed, and I couldn't be asked to give the keys back. Anyway, our team won so we got smashed and then decided to go home."

"You're drunk right now?"

"Fuck no, I was the designated driver, which means losing a bet, staying sober and buying pre-drinks, which I then conveniently forgot to give them." Keith glared up at the brunette, "besides, I had better things to do tonight…"

Issac shook his head, the guy was saving alcohol during an apocalypse. In every right mind, he would have ditched the bag then and there, but Keith would have probably thrown a tantrum.

Seth reached the bus first, slamming into it heavily and resting both hands on the side. He let out a breath, "ah, mierda." His tanned skin was glistening with a thin layer of sweat and his grey eyes wandered slightly, his sight becoming blurry for a second. He rested his head against the cold metal of the minibus, "no, no, no, not now, please. Come on body, hold out just a little longer…"

However, there was a limit to how much his body could take.

"Okay, breathe." He whispered to himself, palms shaking, "deep breaths, Seth… come on… two hours is way too long…"

"Seth?" Issac grabbed the taller man's shoulders giving him a light shake, "Hey, you alright?"

"I'm fine!" He snapped, causing Issac to remove his hand quickly. It took Seth a second to realise what he had done, he squeezed his eyes shut and placed his head against the minibus, "sorry, I'm just a little… tired."

Issac gave a soft smile, "let's get out of here."

Seth nodded and then turned to Keith who appeared behind Issac, "Keith, give me the keys."

"You can drive?" Keith positioned a hand on his hip, "really?"

A smirk grew on Seth's lips as he reached forwards, plucking the set of keys from the pocket of Keith's volleyball shorts before the smaller could react, "I can drive an automatic, a manual can't be much different."

"You do realise this is a fucking minibus, not a Toyota Prius…"

A moan ripped through the air as a deformed body crashed into the minibus, the three men jumped in surprise.

"I bagsy passenger seat!" Keith shouted as Seth unlocked the vehicle. Issac yanked the side door open and jumped in, moving out the way as Keith threw his violin and guitar in after him, before slamming the door shut. He then got into the passenger seat as Seth got into the driver's side, Seth put the keys into the ignition and started the engine.

Within seconds the minibus was surrounded, hands pounding against the glass repeatedly. Seth pressed the clutch in, changing the gear and almost immediately stalled, causing the van to jerk forwards. A body was knocked to the ground, yet soon jumped back again launching itself onto the hood of the minibus. Keith let out a high-pitched scream and Seth started the engine once more, yet within seconds he stalled again. Multiple beings continued to pound against the minibus, crushing their head against the glass.

Blood dripped down the windows, thick and almost black in colour.

"Seth!" Issac yelled, "glass is breaking back here!"

"Gently with the fucking clutch!" Keith roared turning toward Seth, "lift the clutch gently, find the biting point, handbrake off, foot on the gas!"

"Haud yer weesht!" Seth growled as he lost his temper, his deep Scottish accent taking over.

Keith's mouth fell open, no one ever spoke to him in that way, granted he had no idea what Seth had said but his tone was certainly one of anger. Issac, on the other hand, held back his laughter, it was very rare that the oldest student slipped up and spoke in such a tone. It brought back many memories of their childhood.

Another stall.

"Seth!" Issac jumped up and shook the driver's seat.

One more stall.

"Gas, you fucking idiot! Give it some gas! Slowly with the fucking clutch!" Keith jumped as a face slammed into the window next to him, the glass cracking dangerously. He sharply opened and closed the door, in turn knocking the body to the ground, "you know what, fuck it! Push your fucking seat back!"

Seth did as he was told, using the lever underneath the seat to push it as far back as he could.

"What are you doing?" Issac gripped Seth's shoulders from behind the seat, "drive!"

Keith then climbed over from the passenger seat, landing firmly on Seth's thighs. The blonde turned rigid, head hitting the rest. A million thoughts ran through his mind, most were filled with confusion but there was a slight hint of enjoyment that he couldn't ever admit. Issac's auburn eyes widened, utterly shocked by Keith's actions.

The minivan was now rocking from side to side, blood splattering and glass cracking.

Within seconds, Keith started the minivan, immediately changing it into first gear and sharply pulling away. The creature on the hood slid off, disappearing from Keith's visions as it struggled to stay on the smooth surface. Loud collisions thumped one after another as Keith drove through the growing hoard, he narrowed his eyes as he struggled to control the minibus. The seat wasn't quite in the right position for him and so reaching the clutch with his short stature was a challenge. Despite this, it didn't take him long to get the van up to fourth gear, doing a quick circle around the parked cars before skidding dangerously out of the car park. Issac fell into the seats behind the driver's, thinking that now would be a good time to put a seatbelt on, especially with Keith driving.

Seth was still firm in his seat, back straight and slightly holding his breath, he could feel every movement from Keith and if he wasn't feeling so crap, he would be very much enjoying himself.

"Hey, Blondie!" Keith turned the steering wheel, the minibus screeching as he turned a sharp corner, "where am I going? Where do you live?"

"Uh…" Seth shook his head, trying to regain his concentration, "Sparkford Building."

Thankfully Keith knew exactly where that specific building was, the student accommodation was mere minutes from the main campus, even less with him driving at the speed he was.

"Seth, are you okay?" Issac reached forwards placing a hand over the blonde's forehead, "what the hell, you're sweating like crazy."

A laugh forced its way out of Seth, "uh-huh."

"You're shaking!"

Seth laughed closing his eyes, "yeah, I know."

"Now is not the time to be laughing, Seth!" Issac slapped his cheek, "stay awake!"

"I can't do anything about it right now Issac!" Seth shouted, "I'm screwed if we don't find the girls!"

"Sparkford student accommodation coming right up!" Keith shouted, slamming on the accelerator to get past a wall of undead that was collected outside the front of the building. A second later he slammed on the brakes, turning the wheel and squashing the bodies between the vehicle and wall as he crashed into the building. Keith jolted from the seat, shoulder colliding with the window, "Shit!"

Issac fell backwards, landing in a heap with Keith's guitar falling on top of him.

"Nice parking." Issac groaned, pushing the case back into the nearest seat.

"Shut it, dickhead." Keith hissed as he sat up straight, slightly leaning back into a very disorientated Seth. "Fuck… Fuckity fuck, fuck… I fucking hate driving..."

"I can tell by the way you park…"

"Watch it asshole," Keith rubbed his shoulder and jabbed his elbow into the person underneath him, "right, Blondie, get in the passenger seat, your lap isn't comfy."

Seth managed to shimmy himself from underneath Keith to the seat on the left, slumping with his head in his hands.

"What's wrong with Blondie?"

"I don't know." Issac stated, he pulled himself in-between the two front, "I've never seen him like this before.

"Where are his roommates?" Keith changed the subject, "I want to get out of here before we attract more attention."

Before Issac could answer there was a knock on the side door. Cautiously, the brunette peered out the misty window, noticing two contrasting figures, fighting off the few beings that dared to come forward.

Issac pulled the side door open, he grinned, "Seth's girls, I presume."

Before him, stood two very tired young women, the smaller rolled her eyes as she climbed in. A much taller woman followed her and sat in the nearest single seat, "Seth actually got a decently sized vehicle…"

"I'm Skylar," The smaller shook her curly hair, "that's Lane, we need to get out of here now, we made a big disturbance and don't think it will be long before the hoard catches up."

"I'm Issac, known Seth for way too many years, the angry small dude is Keith." Issac smiled. "Anyway, Keith! You good to go?"

"I'm in immense pain, what do you think?"

The doors of the building suddenly flew off the hinges, Lane looked out the window and shouted, "let's get out of here, now!"

"Shut it, I hate driving so don't piss me off and if any of you touch the fucking radio, I will kill you." Keith winced as he managed to start the van once again, pulling away, this time much slower. He turned the wheel abruptly and took a sharp breath, grabbing his right shoulder, "shit."

"Little man!" Skylar kicked the driver's seat, "we're attracting too much attention, get moving!"

Keith bit back his pain and drove the bus away.

"Lane?" Seth looked over his shoulder.

"Hey," She smiled softly, "you don't look so good."

He nodded, "black bag, I need it."

Lane took the small shoulder bag off her shoulder and passed it to the blonde. Seth put the bag at his side pulling out what seemed to be a chunky grey and white pen, he pulled out a small green tube from the bag, attaching it to the pen, squinting he turned something on the pen, almost as if he was setting a dial. He muttered to himself, "too much…"

"Seth, what is that?" Lane asked as both she and Issac were watching him closely.

"My lifesaver." He pulled the green end off, showing a tiny needle on the end of the pen, he pressed the button quickly and a small squirt of clear liquid flew. He sighed, "okay, sorry about this ladies, Keith please don't hit any bumps for a few seconds."

"Eh?" Keith barely took his eyes off the road as he swerved to avoid another mound of bodies. "Why?"

Seth quickly put the pen between his teeth and undid the zip of his jeans, Lane averted their eyes swiftly, becoming extremely uncomfortable as Seth rolled down his jeans, exposing his bright purple boxers and thighs. He then took the pen from his mouth and jabbed the needle into his leg, pressing the button down. He started counting, "one, two, three…"

"An EpiPen?" Issac asked, recognising the similarities between Seth's pen and his own, which was safe in his bag. Yet, in their youth, Seth had never shown any signs of having a life-threatening allergy.

"-nine, ten." Seth pulled the needle out and removed it from the pen, he recovered it with the green plastic and undid the window a centimetre, quickly throwing it away. He gave a sigh and waited, knowing that it might not be enough to stop his body from shutting down. He looked over his shoulder and smiled, "no, it's not quite an EpiPen."

"Then what is it?" Lane queried also interested as she had never seen Seth perform such an act.

Seth pulled his trousers up and sighed, "it's an insulin pen."

"What…"

"Yeah." He smiled sadly, there was no one besides his family that knew his secret, even his silver medical bracelet was hidden in his bag because he refused to let anyone know. But the world was changing, there was no way he could hide it from the people he was surviving with. So, he gave up, they had a right to know, "I have Type one diabetes, without this twice a day… I'll slowly die."

The minibus fell silent.

"Fuck!" Keith shrieked, he slammed on the brakes performing an emergency stop.

There were loud screams as the occupants of the minibus fell forwards.

"I can't…" Blue eyes were wide and slightly bloodshot, his lips trembling. "I can't."

"What the hell!" Skylar shouted.

Lane and Issac picked themselves off the floor, both peering out the windscreen. They froze, locking in on a wall of beings. It was nothing like they had ever seen before, bodies were piled on one another, the dead feeding and demolishing everything in their path. Nevertheless, they had an escape, an exit to the motorway was clear and yet… Keith refused to drive.

"Dude that way takes you to the A40!" Seth yelled zipping his trousers back up, "go that way!"

"No." Swallowing the lump in his throat Keith turned the wheel, heading for the wall of feeding beings.

"Are you crazy!" Lane grabbed the driver's headrest shaking it, "we have a way out why aren't you taking it?"

"Let someone else drive if you have a selfish, suicidal death wish!" Skylar growled, kicking the back of Keith's seat.

Keith remained silent; eyes locked on the road as the minibus struggled to power through the hoard.

"Stop!"

"Turn back around!"

"Keith!"

Once through the hoard and a safe distance away from all the chaos, Keith slammed on the breaks, the minivan came to a stop near an alleyway where there was seemingly no undead, yet it was silent, too silent. Keith took off his seat belt and kicked the driver's door open, "You can all go fuck yourselves!"

He slammed the door shut and walked a few steps from the minibus. His hair was plastered to his sticky skin, everything hurt, his shoulders, his arms, his legs, everything. A deep breath escaped his chest as he blocked out the shouting from the minibus, he lightly placed his head against a cold lamppost, trying to force back the nausea in his stomach. A numbing pain spread across his body, his shoulder throbbing and arms aching. He had overworked himself during the volleyball game and his body was starting to reject all movement, from a quick glance to his forearms he could already see the darkening pink areas amongst the already black and blue. There was no way in hell he was going to look at the state of his shoulder…

"You've got to be kidding me," Skylar growled.

"I'll get him," Seth hissed as his body refused to move.

"No," Issac slapped a hand on his shoulder, "I got him."

Stepping out from the safety of the minibus wasn't something that Issac wanted to do, but he didn't have a choice, he wouldn't let Seth get out, especially in the condition he was in. Eyes surveyed the area, deeming it safe, for now. He stepped from the minibus, walking swiftly over to Keith.

"Listen, I really don't get what your problem is, but you need to understand that its not just your life on the line right now." Issac didn't get an answer, Keith was quiet, lightly knocking his head against the pole, "you have one messed up personality, you know? You're selfish, rude, slightly manipulative."

Dark hair fell over Keith's eyes as he gave a single nod.

"But it's your choice, get back on the minibus and live or stay out here and die. But I will say that Seth seems to have taken a liking to you, so I suggest to get back on the bus before he jumps out and drags you back on there. Because if he does, I will kick your arse." Issac turned on his heels and pulled himself back into the van, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Keith stood alone with his own thoughts, hating everything that flew through his mind. He really didn't like his options… For him there was no joy in being around so many people, he had no interest in dealing with their problems as well as his own.

A loud bang sharply ripped through the air, similar to that of a gunshot.

Keith jumped around and stared down the alleyway, it was dark… too dark to actually see if anything was down there. His heart thumped against his rib cage, eyes shaking, he wanted to run and yet his feet wouldn't move. He wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and pretend everything was a nightmare.

Another bang, this time louder.

Within the dark alleyway, there was the pounding of footsteps, loud and in a rush. They closed in… the sounds bashing against his eardrums. Keith backed himself into the lamppost, surprised as four figures appeared from the alleyway. Three tall men and one tiny woman, one that was barely smaller than himself.

The tallest man - dressed in a dirtied grenadier guard uniform - stepped towards Keith, "how did you get here? This place is corrupted with the undead."

"Uh…" Keith felt so small before the man, the way he held himself, the way he spoke. Everything about him made Keith feel insignificant. But being the asshole he was, Keith wouldn't let such a man get to him. He stuck out his hip and glared up at the guard before him, "I drove that minibus, how the fuck do you think I got here?"

There was a crash from the alleyway, the thumps of many bodies followed it closely.

"They're close behind us; we have to move!" A yell came from the girl, "we're leaving on that minibus, come on!"

Keith frowned at the bloodstained gravel under his feet, he watched as the small group clambered into the minibus, conversing with the other occupants. He once again returned to staring down the alleyway, the darkness was no longer still… it flowed as a liquid, beings limping their way forth… hungry for blood.

Keith most certainly had no plans to die today. He leapt back towards the minibus, climbing in the side door and slamming it shut behind him. Skylar gave him a dark look as he picked up his belongings and moved to the back seats. He sat in the seat farthest from the front, biting back is frustrations, "I'm not driving anymore, I don't give a fuck what any of you think about me. If you want to get out of here it's on you, now fuck off and leave me alone."

They all sat there in stunned silence, completely unbelieving of how selfish the petite man was being.

"I'll drive." The tall blonde climbed to the driver's seat, quickly getting comfortable and accelerating away.

Seth stuck his face around from the front seat, his greatest friend and roommates, Lane, Issac and Skylar, were all safe and sound. He spared another look around the minibus, inspecting the new arrivals of their group. The blonde, muscular guard, a dainty blonde girl and two, tall black-haired men. They all relaxed into their seats, tiredness washing over them.

A cheeky grin spread onto Seth's lips as he recognised the ASDA jacket of the tanned male at the back of the bus.

"Hey, mi amor, never thought I'd see you again."

"Oh, dear god, it's you…" Drake slouched further into his seat, way too drained to deal with anything the blonde had to offer.

"I swear its fate that we have met again." Seth beamed, trying to lighten the mood.

Issac shook his head, chuckling lightly.

* * *

**Boop new chapter, thanks for reading and the reviews. This would have been up yester, but a friend asking me to go out with them and i just colour refuse.**

**Thank you Zero you really are awesome, much love to you.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Within two hours of death, the human body changes…

Skin begins to pallor and the blood coagulates, sinking to the most southern point.

After death, there is scientifically no chance of the body ever returning to its living state.

Yet, something had changed in the balance of nature. A single bite could kill and in minutes those who had died were coming back to life. It was a plague upon the earth, one that was spreading faster than anything like it before.

Every second was another death and another being lost from humanity.

The sky was now dark with smoke ridden clouds, buildings were cremated to the ground, blood-stained the gravel as the reanimated monsters feasted.

The minibus slid from side to side, wheels skidding on the bodily fluids that puddled below. Beauregard tapped his fingers lightly against the steering wheel as he drove, the lights of the bus shining against the roads, lighting the path before him. Bodies stumbled across the streets, teeth sinking into the flesh of their victims. The engine was rumbling loudly, attracting every being it passed, living and dead.

Beauregard knew he could not stop, the lives of the other eight people on the bus were in his hands. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself as he drove through what seemed like an endless maze. His mind was tired, having been pushed to the limit for hours on end. There was only so much his body could take before it needed to rest.

Streetlights shone endlessly, lighting the dark space of the bus in a constant pattern.

The other members of the bus were silent, staying within their own little world; processing everything that had just happened to them. Their world was dying, being destroyed by those who had called it home. There had already been so much death, not one of them had come out into this world unscathed. Some had lost friends and family, while the rest sat in the quiet unknown, not even knowing if their loved ones were even alive.

Eyelids drooped as Beauregard yawned, a dark figure leapt into the road and Beauregard swiftly came to his senses, sharply turning the wheel in an attempt to avoid a collision. The screeches were loud, the occupants yelling in surprise as they tried to stay on their seats. He released a harsh breath, his heart lightly thumping against his chest.

Well, that was one way to keep yourself awake…

"Holy hell."

He turned onto the next road, finding that it was a duel carriageway where he could speed up a little bit more. There was a growl from the gear stick as it refused to get into fifth gear, Beauregard wasn't surprised; it was a university minibus, he doubted it was top of the range.

"Get in," He stamped on the clutch, shoving the stick into the required gear and let the engine roar. "Good… thank you, god."

He looked quickly around the minibus, wondering if he was the only one thinking about what was going to happen to them. But from a single glance he could tell they were all nervous, mobile phones were pressed tight to ears or stuck within a crushing grip, the droning dial tone the only thing to be heard.

"Anyone got through to family yet?" Beauregard yelled, changing to the highest gear the minibus allowed.

Faces were lit up in the dark, fear, worry, anxiety, anguish, all were present in their expressions. Sat in the seat directly behind Beauregard, was one of the men he had met in the alleyway with Alice, he had taken his grey hoodie off, awkwardly managing to keep the black headphones around his neck. The young man was timidly tapping his feet, eyes shaking as he stared down at his phone, praying that the person on the other end would pick up and settle the feelings of dread in his stomach.

Since he had got on the bus Jack had been trying to get in contact with his sister. His phone was bright, his background was that of a new game that was due to come out within the next few days, yet he guessed that day would now never come. Forty-three percent… his mobile had lost significant charge since he left home. Yet, there was nothing he could do; it was his only chance of contacting his little sister.

More than anything Jack needed his sister to pick up and show him she was really alive. That she was out there somewhere waiting for him to come and get her. He heavily pressed his thumb against the screen once more, squeezing his eyes shut as he lifted the phone to his ear. His free hand climbed to his neck, fingers twirling the simple silver locket as the ringing tone droned on…

"Please… Pick up."

However, it only went to voicemail for the fourth time, "welcome to the EE voicemail service, I'm sorry but the person your calling is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone, after you've finished your message hang up."

"Dammit…" Jack hissed, he gripped the locket even tighter, knuckles turning white. With haste he called the number again, after six more rings it went to voicemail once more. Hands began to tremble and his breath got caught in his throat, "come on Blake… please."

But nothing, there was no answer from his little sister.

She was somewhere halfway up the country, he had no idea what she was going through, whether she was surviving in this disgusting world. He had to believe though, he had to find her and make sure she was safe.

He looked up noticing a pair of lime eyes sparing odd glances to him in the rear-view mirror, Jack gave a weak smile to the older man, faking happiness. With a deep breath, he turned his phone screen off, resting his head against the seat, "no… I got no answer."

"Try again later." Beauregard called, "your sister may be too busy to answer."

"I hope so."

The air was heavy, the stench of sweat and decay sitting still in the air. Jack looked at his lap, fingers scratching at the black material of his trousers and feet bouncing up and down. His sister was the only family he had to worry about, throughout the years he had always been there for her, only a phone call away whenever she needed him.

He would always be there to protect her.

Afterall in his twenty-six years of living, he saw himself as a good big brother.

Alice sat watching him, being in the seat just across from him. She herself had just lost her entire family, not even seeing it for herself as it came from the words of her neighbours. Jack and Drake were an odd pair, both looked very similar to her. Yet, they were completely different, while Drake was irritable, Jack was caring. It seemed to her like everyone on the bus was a complete individual and each was dealing with the apocalypse in their own way.

Blonde hair fell over her shoulders as Alice shuffled in her seat by the window, turning to face Jack, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just worried," Fingers erratically tapped against his thighs, despite his legs also bouncing at the same time. "I haven't been able to get in contact with my little sister since everything started. I just need to know if she is okay; I promised to always look after her since she was born."

"Your sister…" Alice dug her fingers into the palm of her hand, wishing there was an easier way to talk about such a situation. "Is she much younger than you?"

"Yes, very much younger, she's still in school.

"I'm sure she's fine, she's your sister and you made it out alright."

There was a light laugh, "I wouldn't have made it out if I was alone, Drake is kind of scary but at least he's got a good heart. I'd be dead without him."

The two sat in a calm quietness for a few minutes. They listened to the sounds of the engine, looking out the window and looking at what their home had become. Gone was the blue sky of summer, gone was the fresh air and gone was the feeling of freedom. All that was left was an endless darkness, filled with monsters that wanted nothing but to satisfy their own hunger.

Small talk wasn't exactly something they enjoyed, yet it was the only thing that was keeping their minds from wandering. It was a dangerous place for the mind to be, no one wanted to be alone in a situation that could completely ruin them.

Jack turned back to Alice, he had never really spoken to her before, after all, he barely had a reason to leave his home, considering that his work rarely left his bedroom. Every now and then – when shopping became a necessity – he would run into her or her grandmother within the building lift or corridor. Once in a blue moon would words be exchanged between Alice and himself, while on the other hand, her grandmother was quite the chatterbox. Often talking happily about her granddaughter who was studying art at the local university.

Never would she expect much of a reply, as only a kind smile would be on her lips as she spoke proud words.

"It is Alice, right?" Jack asked.

The young woman had a pair of striking green eyes, slightly brighter than his own. She gave a small nod in reply, as she wasn't exactly sure of what reply was needed.

Similarly, Jack wasn't sure where he was going with this conversation, yet he had to talk about something. He really didn't want to get pulled into a dark place; it wasn't the time for that to happen. With a small breath, he spoke calmly, "I am really sorry about your grandmother. She was a lovely woman, sometimes my post would get delivered to your apartment, so she'd come over and give them to me with snacks." A soft laugh escaped with his breath, "I'd also apologise for being too loud, my voice liked to carry down the corridor."

Alice knew exactly what he was talking about, many times had she picked up the bills for her neighbour Jack Hall, and yet she herself had never taken them over to him. However, it was only a few times that she had heard his voice, it could echo down the corridors on a bad day due to the walls of the building being very old and thin. She smiled remembering the kindness of her grandmother, "that sounds like something she would do. So, what is it you exactly did?"

"For work?"

"Yeah, you rarely left the apartment, it was obvious you worked from home."

Jack ran a hand through his dark, unkempt hair and chuckled, "I did live streaming."

A light eyebrow raised in confusion, "like play games with people watching live?"

"Exactly like that."

"Sounds fun." Alice stared out the window, eyes full of an emotion Jack couldn't put his finger on. He wondered if there was something on her mind, he wasn't expecting a full-blown conversation like one that could happen between best friends. They barely knew one another, just like they barely knew anyone else on the bus.

Everyone was a stranger.

Yet, these were the people he was stuck with, for now, no one knew how long it would be for. Yet they only had each other in the world they now called home.

Alice couldn't be much older than Jack's little sister. She was probably one of the youngest on the minibus, there was no one around her age. There was a sense of responsibility in his heart, he wanted to show that everything would be alright. That they would be safe…

But he didn't know if that was really possible.

Jack knew that he wasn't the only one who was unable to get into contact with loved ones. A quick look behind him showed that the young brunette was also having difficulty getting his family to answer the phone. From earlier, Jack knew that he was one of the two men who had a broad Scottish accent, he wondered if his whole family were still in the north – safe in a rural area.

If he remembered correctly, the Scottish men were called Issac and Seth. Yet, which one was which slipped his mind.

The brunette's fingers were working quickly on the phone, seemingly sending what was a flood of text messages, praying for any sort of reply. His jaw was tight as he played with the phone, bringing it up to his ear as he rung another number.

"Come on, come on, come on." He rambled soundlessly, "how hard is it to answer a simple phone call?"

As the voice mail sounded loud, he hung up, growling at the innocent piece of technology in his hand. He tried a different number, "you better pick up Diana, you always have your fucking phone on you."

"Issac!" The phone had barely rung once before a high voice screamed.

The deep orange eyes of Issac widened, "Diana! Where the heck are you?"

"With Eliza," There was a loud slam from what seemed to be a car door, "we made it out of the apartments, Eliza is driving to mum's work. Where are you, you said you were going to meet Seth for dinner and that's the last we heard, are you two still together?"

"Yeah, I'm with Seth and eight other people." Issac noisily stated, "I'm on a university minibus, but I don't know where we're going. Just get out of London, find mum and get out!"

"Jesus, Issac we know, we're not dumb!"

Even in the middle of an apocalypse, the Haileman twins were still as confrontational as any other day.

"I'm glad your safe…" He whispered, leaning his head against the cold window.

"We're glad you are safe too." They sat in a content silence, glad to finally hear each other's voice. "When we find mum, we're heading north back to Scotland, we're hoping the countryside is safer. Come… and make sure to bring Seth."

"Eight people Diana," Issac exclaimed, "I doubt everyone – but Seth and me – will be happy to go to Scotland."

"If you can though…" Diana sniffed, "hey Issac…"

"Yeah."

"We love you."

"I know… I love you guys too."

"Stay-"

The phone suddenly cut off with a beep, Issac jolted in his seat and shouted, "Diana, Eliza?" He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen, it had gone dark, run out of battery. Eyes shook, "no!" and his voice cracked, stammering as he tried to get the words out, "No… please, dear god no!" He held down the power button, praying that it had enough charge to turn back on even for a few minutes…

But nothing… It didn't even vibrate.

Issac turned in his place, bringing his knees onto the seat and wrapping his arms around himself.

He listened to the minibus's engine, homing in on its constant whirring. The only other sounds were that of Seth mumbling in the front seat. Despite the two Scotsman knowing each other for almost seventeen years, there were still things that they didn't know about one another, and earlier was a good example of that. Issac had never known that his childhood friend was diabetic, he had always thought Seth was a little aloof however, noticing that he avoided all sugary foods, claiming he was on a diet. He thought he knew everything about his childhood friend… yet the apocalypse showed him he was wrong.

Deep brown curls fell over his eyes as he rested his head on his knees, watching Seth absentmindedly.

The blonde was in a state of panic, unable to contact his family. Much like himself, Seth loved his family dearly and he would do absolutely anything to get back to them. Maybe it was the best for the two of them… to go back to Scotland, where there was no one around for miles.

Seth was playing with his phone in the front seat next to Beauregard, fingers quickly working away as he sent multiple texts; trying a range of different numbers. Nervous, he started biting the fingernails on his right hand, pulling at the skin.

His body was still slightly shaking, even now feeling the effects of his late insulin injection. His stomach was rumbling, hating the thought of being empty. Seth knew his blood sugar was probably dangerously low, the glucose tablets had done nothing to help him. He had his check the levels again in a few minutes and pray the results were better than earlier.

It frustrated him really, Seth had kept his medical issues secret for so long and now everything was out in the open. Besides, if he was to survive in this new world, everyone had to know when and how to inject him. It wasn't like he wanted to be a burden… but things changed.

The world was dangerous and he knew surviving was not only going to be difficult… but complicated when he started running out of his insulin.

Suddenly, the phone in his hands began buzzing violently - a familiar name glowing brightly on the screen. Fingers fumbled with the device as he tried to answer the call, "¿hola, mamá?"

"¡Seth! ¿Estás bien? ¿Dónde estás?"

Seth let out a breath of relief as he heard his mother's gentle voice, he covered his face with his free hand, hiding the tears that were threatening to fall. He choked back a sob, he was a big softy at heart, "Mamá, estoy bien… estoy bien."

Beauregard raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden language change from the young man. He was sure the young male was Scottish, judging by the ridiculously strong accent he had. Nonetheless there Seth was, speaking Spanish - with no signs of that Scottish accent - to his mother like it was the most natural thing in the world. Seth started to ramble quickly until his words became a mixture of laughter and weeping.

It was almost heart-breaking.

Beauregard could see the streaks of tears shining against Seth's tanned cheeks every time they passed under a streetlight.

"Adiós, mamá." Seth gritted his teeth, "os quiero a todos."

Seth pressed the end call button and closed his eyes tight. Skylar stood from her seat, knowing that Seth was about to get extremely emotional, he would always get like it when he felt down. She knew that underneath his flirtatious exterior was just a child who wanted to be loved and give his love in return. She guessed it was one of the reasons why he had so many partners; he was lonely.

Skylar tenderly stuck her arms around the passenger seat, wrapping her short limbs around his shoulders and giving him a dainty hug. She rested her head on top of his as he shook, "you okay Sethy?"

"Sí.."

"So, you speak Spanish at home? I didn't know."

"It's a way to keep our privacy and so it's not something I tell people. I have too many bad rumours about me already. I didn't need people thinking that I actually come from a sexy Hispanic family."

Skylar laughed, she knew where he was coming from. Girls and boys alike were always flocking Seth, one too many times had she chased people out the apartment for him. Skylar turned to rest her soft cheek on Seth's spiky hair, "so, what did your mum say?"

He sniffed, tightly gripping Skylar's arm, "she's found my little brothers and two of my sisters; they were on their way back from school. But dad hasn't come back from looking for Isla…" He groaned, "Isla was supposed to be with Isabelle and Imogen, but surprise surprise she was meeting a boy without telling anyone!"

"Oh, come on, you would do the exact same thing, actually I'm sure you have done the exact same thing."

Seth gasped, slightly looking up and meeting Skylar's asymmetric eyes, "I'm insulted… but yeah I have. Isla takes after me way too much, guess I'm not much of a role model."

"Nah, you just have a lot of love to give."

Seth leant back into the seat and smiled weakly, "mum then told me she was pregnant again…"

"What?" Skylar's eyes widened, she leant over the seat, utterly shocked by what Seth had announced.

"Yeah by five months, she said that she was going to tell me when I got my masters degree. But now… she just wanted to tell me in case something happened to me or her."

"Damn your family is huge."

"Tell me about it, my parents need to stop banging like rabbits." He rubbed his thumbs against the warm skin of Skylar's arms, enjoying the contact. "I'm going to have siblings twenty-two years younger than me… it's kind of worrying."

Beauregard chuckled lowly, finding the conversation between the two amusing. Seth seemed like a generally nice guy, despite his playful attitude. Skylar, however, seemed very protective of her roommate, like she would break the fingers of anyone who would say or touch him inappropriately. There was an aura around her, one that was constantly changing, she seemed different than earlier… almost as if she was a completely different person. Seth seemed to notice as well, he was reacting to her slightly differently, becoming more intimate.

The two were still embraced within a tight hug, happy within the warmth they shared with one another.

Seth had calmed, feeling more in control of his shaky body, "hey, Skye are you going to try and call your brother?"

Skylar sneered, unwrapping her arms from around her roommate's shoulder, snaking one around his neck and gripping the blonde's locks in a tight fist, "you think that murdering asshole deserves a phone call from me?"

"Ow!" Seth yelped, wincing in pain, "it was just a suggestion! Mierda, por favor, déjame ir."

"You know that Spanish doesn't work on me, lover boy!"

Beauregard looked to the students, he wondered if they had a closer relationship than they were letting on. Skylar seemed to hold something in her heart for the Scottish man, but he wasn't sure if Seth felt the same way or even knew.

For Beauregard, it wasn't his place to ask.

A few seats down the minibus, Lane was watching her roommates interact. It wasn't often the two got as close as they were right now; normally they were as argumentative as siblings. It was rare Skylar would give any form of physical contact… especially to Seth who always gave too much.

But that was a distant thought for the American girl currently.

While everyone else had family relatively close by, Lane's were almost on the other side of the world.

So far away…

She wondered if the same thing was happening over in America, whether that even over the Atlantic the dead were really rising up.

The phone in her hands was dazzling, screen loaded on an international number and a dial tone droning away as it tried its best to connect. Like the others, Lane wanted nothing more than to find out if her parents were alive, she wanted to know if there was any chance of her getting back to them, no matter how long and hard the journey would be.

Lane was sure her father would be doing everything in his power to find out if his only daughter was alive, after all, he was the protective type.

It wouldn't be long before her father found a way of getting into contact with her.

When the number refused to connect Lane turned the phone off, stuffing the device into the pocket of her fencing sports bag.

Deep eyes caught the sight out of the window, she brought her thumb up to her mouth and started subconsciously chewing on the nail. The world was a dark place, not one she wanted to get caught outside in…

She wasn't the only one who was staring at the outside world, in the dark reflection of the gore stained window she could just make out the shape of the small angry student from before. To her, he was someone she never saw herself talking or even having any interaction with.

Lane watched intently, narrowing her eyes as she noticed Keith biting at the rings pierced through his bottom lips. It made her quickly pull her hand away from her mouth, gone was its perfect shape of her thumbnail and gone was the clear coat of varnish that used to cover it.

"Damn…" She hissed, hating herself for the habit she had no control over. But it was something she couldn't help, everyone had something they couldn't control. The sky was only getting darker as the seconds ticked on, Lane only found herself watching Keith once more. There was something about him that made her feel uneasy, she had to keep an eye on him…

His light blue eyes were darting from the window to the other man next to him and then back to the window. Lane watched, she could see the frustration bubbling up inside of him and it would only be seconds before he exploded.

Keith was trying his best to ignore everything around him, wanting to keep his mind preoccupied. He could only think about whether it would be best to see if he could contact his only family… or if it would be best to not do anything. His phone was safe in his bag, ready to use whenever he wanted to… but in the end, he would always decide against using it to phone his father.

Keith frowned, realising that his father was probably in the thick of hell by now and in no situation to take a phone call. Keith respected his father, he didn't want to distract him from his work, there was nothing he could do but wait for a text or a phone call. He could feel a gaze burning into him, with a sharp turn he scowled at the emerald eyes on the other side of the bus, "what the fuck do you keep looking at?"

Drake sneered, disbelieving that the small male was really the same age as him, "nothing."

"It's obviously something if you keep staring at me like I'm a piece of shit."

Drake scoffed and then muttered under his breath, "acknowledging you like a piece of shit is giving you way too much credit."

"Excuse me?"

"I said nothing."

"Oh no, you definitely said something you fucker."

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Keith shrugged heartlessly, "I don't have a mother, so what the fuck does it matter what kind of language I use?"

Drake's mouth dropped in shock and he had no words, he didn't expect that kind of response. Dark thoughts filled his mind, it had been ages since Drake had thought of his mother, he turned to look away, not wanting to give Keith any satisfaction in his words.

"Oh, did I touch a nerve?" The comment from Keith was in no way sincere, it was taunting. "You got some mummy issues?"

Fists clenched tightly, blood boiling in Drake's veins.

"That's adorable."

A loud slam rattled from the back of the bus.

Everything at that moment stopped, everyone turning sharply to see what the commotion was about. Lane jumped up from her seat, Seth and Skylar released one another from their hug, Alice and Jack stuck their heads over the headrests, Issac knelt on his seat mouth wide at the sight before him. Beauregard growled, slamming on the breaks of the minibus.

Everyone struggled to stay in their seats, screaming at the sudden jolt from the emergency stop.

Fuming, Beauregard turned in his seat, "what the fuck is going on back there?"

There were no other words, everyone could only watch.

Drake was staring daggers at Keith who in turn was glowing red with anger. In a moment of rage, Drake had grabbed his baseball bat and had taken a violent swing at Keith, the bat landing mere inches above Keith's head, cracking the glass of the rear window.

Anyone could tell the two were ready for a fight and neither looked willing to back down.

"This is not a fucking school trip!" Beauregard bellowed, "if you two hadn't noticed the world is going to shit and we don't have time for you to be squabbling like children, so start getting along or don't sit near one another."

There was a sense of reluctance as Drake lowered the bat slowly, pulling it away but not without lightly knocking Keith on the head with it. Keith almost threw a punch, balling his fists and teeth pulling dangerously at the piercings.

"Anything else before I start driving again?" Never in his life did Beauregard feel more like the father to two problem children. When he got no reply, he glowered and returned to his comfortable driving position, "good, let's get going then."

Tensions were running high and everyone was feeling the pressure.

It would take time… but they would all have to learn to get along.

Because this was now their world.

* * *

**So my usual thanks to the usual people, you know who you are.**

**Slightly late, I had some trouble and had to split this chapter in two as it just got waaaaay to long and overbearing.**

**I've decided to update monthly, or if im lucky twice a month. Mainly because I'm in my final year of university and don't have as much time as I need to write every spare moment, unfortunately. It's moments like this I'm glad I prewrote most of my chapters, even if they are a hell of a mess XD**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

It hadn't been long since the outburst of the two angry young men at the back of the bus, no one really knew how to act after their exchange, honestly, most were too scared of getting dad yelled at by Beauregard. So, they sat in silence, minding their own business. A few of them, however – such as Skylar – were holding back their laughter as they found it hilarious that the two men were almost sulking like toddlers.

"So," Beauregard cleared his throat, finally content with the quietness in the minibus, "any ideas on the best way out of here?"

"We've already passed the exit to the A40," Skylar glared over her shoulder, "no thanks to a certain someone. You might as well head down by Hyde Park, get off on the exit to Knightsbridge and get onto the A4. From there you can get to the M3 or at least the M25."

"We just came from that direction, Hyde Park to Buckingham Palace is a complete warzone," Drake stated, slouching into his seat and sparing a single look of disgust to the small man across from him.

"But it's the next quickest way out of here, we'll head for the A3. That way we can literally get on any motorway. Plus, we're safe here as long as we don't stop." Beauregard sighed, pressing on the accelerator and driving through a small crowd of undead beings. The bodies thumped against the outside of the minivan. It was a sickening sound, yet there was nothing they could do about it. This was going to become the norm for them, they had to be prepared to end the monsters that were out to kill them.

It was a dark thought, he needed to get his mind out of the horrible place it was tempted to fall. A painted sign on the road caught his attention, it made him smirk, "by the way who's paying the congestion charge and low emission zones?"

"Fuck, my bank account!" a voice bawled from the back of the minibus.

"That would be mi pequeño mierda back there." Seth chuckled, resting against the cracked window.

There was some muttering from the back of the bus, "fucking Dylan making me link my auto-pay to the minivan… fuck, fuck, fuck."

Beauregard and Seth shared a laugh together as they listened to Keith moan about someone he'd probably never see again. Seth was fiddling with his black bag, making sure everything was in the correct place and counting the small vials of insulin. Altogether he had three extra pens and eight vials, which was enough for three months if he went by pen usage… Stone eyes narrowed slightly, "carajo..."

"Everything alright?" Beauregard asked, concerned at how Seth was frowning, it was a new expression from the young man.

Seth shook his head, "if I live through the next few months I'm going to quickly run out of insulin, so I'm just trying to figure out what my best option is, I'm wondering if I can push the usage of my insulin pens closer to fifty days. It would give me another two months before I need to find more."

"Diabetic?"

"Yeah."

"How long does a single pen normally last?"

"I normally use one for thirty days, give or take."

Beauregard had never met a diabetic before, he knew that there were different types and that each person used different forms of insulin to keep themselves healthy, "twenty extra days extra that seems like too much…"

"It kind of is..." Seth took his tongue piercing between his lips, playing with the silver bar, "I've used one for forty-five days before – when I forgot to take an extra one on a school trip – and it wasn't the best experience, to make it last longer you have to keep it cold and freezing insulin isn't the best to inject."

"Hurts like a bitch I'm guessing."

"It hurts more than getting kicked in the balls." There was a bright grin from Seth, "but if I put up with injecting it cold it will last longer."

"Well it's up to you, but eventually you will need more, and we will find you some."

"Thanks, Beau-" Seth struggled to pronounce the guard's name, "Beur… Bau… Buree…"

"Just call me Blue." Beauregard smiled, resting a hand on the gearstick while keeping the other on the wheel. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Seth was beaming at him, it reminded him of a carefree child who hadn't a worry in the world.

"Seth!" A shout came from them.

"What?"

Suddenly a hand flew over the headrest and slapped Seth.

"What the heck, Issac?"

"I was going to mention this earlier, but we were busy… But we're not now so… I've known you for sixteen years and you don't bother telling me you're a freaking diabetic!" Issac had squeezed his slender chest between the two front seats, his auburn eyes glaring at his fellow Scotsman. "Like what the hell! Don't you trust me?"

"Issac calm down!"

"What would I do if you suddenly died?" His eyes had widened dangerously, teeth gritted together tightly. "You're an idiot! Such an idiot! You're supposed to tell people things like this - especially your childhood friend - so I know what I'm supposed to do if you suddenly start going into shock and dying like you were!"

"Issac!" Before the brunette could utter another word, Seth had jumped from his seat and pulled Issac into the back of the minibus. They landed on the floor, Seth holding Issac's head in his hands tightly, "calm down now!"

Issac was trembling, his mind completely elsewhere. Gone was his happy exterior and he could no longer hold his emotions back, he was angry, scared, pissed off and overwhelmed all at the same time. Seth knew everything about him, so why wasn't it the same for him, why didn't he know about such an important thing in his life?

"Okay, I'm sorry. Yes, you're right, I am a complete and utter idiot. Now take deep breaths and calm yourself down." Seth whispered, loosening his grip and taking Issac's hands instead. His skin was cold, almost freezing to Seth, but he wouldn't let go. "Please calm down."

There was a shaky nod, curly hair falling over his eyes messily.

"I didn't want to worry you. I've been diabetic since before I met you, it was my decision not to tell you."

"I hate you."

Seth chuckled, taking Issac's words on the chin and rubbing his caramel coloured hair lightly, giving him the air of a big brother, "no you don't, are you calm now?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat Issac nodded, pushing his dark thoughts as far back as he could. It wasn't often this part of him would force its way out and for it to happen in front of people he didn't know, it was traumatising. His happy exterior was all he was, even if it was a forced smile.

"Now, listen. I'll tell you more about it when we get somewhere safe," Seth stood and pulled Issac into the seat next to Skylar. "Now, you will relax some more, and I'll sit back in the front, tell me if you need anything." He then turned to Skylar and debated what state she was currently in, he caught her eyes and smiled when he could see her kind heart, "and Skye will keep you company."

Seth climbed back into the front seat, a sigh escaping his lips. He knew Beauregard was sparing glances at him, all he could do was offer a soft smile in return, before continuing to sort through his black bag.

For a while everyone was quiet. It had been a long day and there was nothing more anyone wanted than to crawl into a warm bed and sleep. The minibus weaved in an out of the streets, avoiding everything in their path. The lifeless beings had grown substantially in numbers, their bodies twitching at the first signs of anything they could sink their teeth into. Beauregard kept his stomach strong, staring straight ahead while everyone else averted their gaze. The streets were covered in blood, the lights of the minivan shining on the surface, it was a disgusting picture.

Yet, they had escaped. They had escaped their homes, their jobs, their university. Somehow in this world of the dead, they were still alive, but now came the next hardest step… Finding somewhere safe to stay.

"So, does anyone have a secure space we can camp out at?"

Lane spoke up first, "Seth, Skylar and I are from the university accommodation, but it's gone. Completely overrun and destroyed."

"The university is in shambles too; it was hell to get out of there." Issac nodded, furthermore he knew there was no chance of his home being in one piece, "also I live in the flats right down the road from the student accommodation, but my sisters aren't there as they've left already, they said it was just as bad there as the university."

"Crap." The minibus swerved again, passing Hyde Park. The park was a state of chaos, with everyone running left and right, beings feeding on those caught in their trap, and humans clambering over one another to get out of the massacre. Everything and one in the park was a lost cause.

Jack sighed turning away from the window, not wanting to look out on the world, "well there's no point in staying in London then, our apartments and the surrounding area were overrun as well."

Drake and Alice nodded in agreement.

"Well," Beauregard breathed, "my family are from Dover, but it's way too far away and we're currently going in the wrong direction. So, we won't get there without petrol, more supplies and a night of good sleep or two."

There was only one person left in the minivan that was likely to have a place they could stay, one that both Seth and Issac knew - due to their earlier eavesdropping – commuted to the university via train.

There was a chance that he lived somewhere that was far safer than London.

"Oi, Keith!" Issac called.

Blue eyes didn't dare to move from the window, he sat in silence refusing to reply.

Drake narrowed his eyes at the man who sat the other side of the large guitar case. He couldn't understand how a person could have such a massive personality changed in the short time that had passed since that morning. Then again, a lot had happened since the morning, the world coming to an end can be destructive to anyone's personality.

"Hey!"

"I told you to fuck off and leave me alone." Blue eyes were dark, contorted with a mixture of emotions.

Lane felt her upper lip twitch in frustration as she almost snarled at the small man, "listen, everyone here is tired and irritated, we all want to be somewhere where we can have a good sleep and move on. Now you're the only one here who has a chance of having somewhere safe, so where do you live?"

Keith sneered, glowering at the young woman that he knew was most certainly taller than him. It was a battle of blue eyes as the two stared one another down, neither budging.

"Hey," Beauregard barked and gave a disappointed look in the rear-view mirror to Keith, "the sooner we get out of here, the sooner you can get rid of us all and be off on your own merry way."

Keith's brow softened, his body shivering slightly as he was cold in his volleyball uniform. There was a familiar vibe that Keith got from Beauregard, maybe it was because the older man was a part of the military, but he had a similar feel to that of his fathers. Keith broke from the staring contest he was having with Lane, slightly annoyed at himself for giving in to the group's demands. Compared to earlier where he could stand up to Beauregard, Keith had lost all interest in arguing with him, relaxing and finding a sense of respect for the oldest male.

"I'm from a little village just outside of Guilford, called Shere," Keith muttered, "we have a stream with ducks, a small museum, a tearoom and two pubs, so I don't know what the fuck you'd want to go there for."

"Defensive." Skylar quipped.

"Shut up."

Beauregard knew the way to Guildford and smiled to himself as he knew that it was just over an hour away, yet he had no idea where Shere was. He then asked the next important question, "where's the nearest supermarket?"

"Probably the Londis just off the A25, or actually in Guildford."

There was a laugh from Issac, "you're literally from the middle of nowhere."

"Why you so depressed?" Keith spat, "you literally wanted a safe place that was in the middle of nowhere! And I oh so graciously provided one."

"Oi!" Seth yelled, turning around, "watch yourself pequeño, don't you dare be rude to him."

Keith's pierced lips pouted as he turned away from Seth's gaze, crossing his arms and backing off from the conversation.

Drake raised an eyebrow, surprised by the fact there was no retaliation from the small man. It was only mere minutes ago that Keith was ready to punch him for swinging the baseball bat at him. Yet, his expression had mellowed almost as if he was a candle that had burned out all his anger. Gone was all the aggression and in its place was a void of nothing. He was almost back to that same forgetful guy that left his violin at Drake's till with a blush of the cheeks.

He was more up and down than a bipolar girl on her period.

"Well, I think there's a B&Q, Screwfix, Argos, Sainsbury's and Waitrose." Keith explained nonchalantly, "like I said nothing special, but everything is right next to the University of Surrey. It's going to be a mess if its anything like our uni."

"The faster we get there, then the faster we can determine what to do." Beauregard calmly stated. "We will head to Keith's home then get supplies in Guildford afterwards. Later when the world has calmed down a little, we can make a better plan, but right now our immediate survival is what's most important."

Everyone – even Keith – seemed alright with this arrangement. After all most of them were too tired to even put up any form of displeasure. Once more the bus fell silent, yet the many voices of the outside world could still be heard. It wasn't the easiest thing to listen to, the sounds of screaming, crying and lives ending. Nothing was as it was before.

"Hey, Seth turns the radio on!" Issac whined, hating the silence.

There was a roll from Seth's eyes, yet he gave in and turned on the radio. However, gone was the beautiful sound of any music, and in its place was a low static with a robotic male voice on repeat, "this is an emergency announcement, stay inside your homes unless it is absolutely necessary to leave. Barricade yourselves inside and do not under any circumstances let anyone with any form of bite marks inside. Stay safe England. Updates will happen as soon as we can make contact with the military."

Skylar reached passed Seth and turned the radio off, "let's not have any more of that crap."

"Are you on your tiptoes?" Seth giggled.

Seth received a light slap from the small woman, "shut up."

There was a screech from the breaks as the minibus came to an abrupt stop. Skylar almost flew forwards into the front seat and onto Seth's lap, yelping in shock.

"Why have we stopped?"

"Traffic jam…" Beauregard groaned, slouching back into his seat and rubbing his brow with a hand. "We just crossed the River Thames and are on the A3036, everyone is trying to get onto the A3 to get out of London. But as usual English roadworks are making it a bitch to do anything."

"Quick! Reverse out!"

Beauregard slammed on the clutch, forcing the gear from first to reverse. Unfortunately, cars appeared behind him and he was forced to break again, completely wedged between the vehicles.

"Shit."

"So, we're just going to sit here?" Seth asked.

"That's all we can do until the traffic moves. And I'm not leaving this minibus, furthermore, I'm keeping all the doors locked, we don't want any unwanted visitors."

"Right then," Seth undid his seat belt and turned, climbing over the middle armrest and into the back of the minibus. He gave a smile to Issac, who replied with a thumbs up, before collapsing into the spare seat next to Lane, "hey, mi amor, you doing alright?"

Lane was still staring at her phone, even now waiting for any sign that everything was okay at home. Her deep eyes were a pool of worry, "I can't get through, not even the international or emergency numbers are working."

"With what you've told me about your dad I'm sure they'll find a way to contact you."

"I hope so…" She put her hand up to her chest and gripped a dainty silver locket around her neck. She looked down to her bag, realising quickly that she still had Seth's other white bag he had asked her to get. She pulled the small bag from her fencing case, "here, I didn't know they were going to be as important as it was."

"Ah thank you, Lane, I really do owe you one."

"Hey!" Skylar shouted, "I helped get your shit too!"

Seth lazily slung an arm over the American's shoulder and grinned, "I know, but I actually have a thing for Lane. So, I'm giving her most my thanks."

Lane sat there quietly, shrinking faintly at his touch. She knew Seth meant well and the constant human contact was just one of his traits, but really, she didn't appreciate his advances. For the young woman, it wasn't the most comfortable situation to be in, she was stuck in an enclosed space with people she didn't know. It wasn't so much the other females that were bothering her, Alice seemed sweet, very much like Skylar sometimes was. Lane looked around from Seth and watched the small girl who was trying to stay awake in her seat, her head dropping forward and eyes slowly closing as she struggled to remain conscious.

The men, however… made her nervous.

Despite being in an apocalypse most of them were keeping themselves together, Beauregard had taken the obvious leader role, which Lane respected. Seth and Issac had a lifetime of friendship, and Jack hadn't let his smile fade yet and seemed like the caring older brother. None of them ever appeared as if they would or even could hurt her and she was glad.

Drake and Keith on the other hand… were something different.

Both were disconnected from the others and had such similar personalities that they clashed tremendously. The two almost had a full-blown fight earlier and the only one brave enough to get in-between them was Beauregard.

Yet they did have their differences, Drake appeared to keep to himself and yet he did appreciate others, despite always looking pissed off, a scowl constantly attached to his lips. While Keith just hated the goddamn world and was more interested in himself than anyone else.

It was those two who were making Lane most uncomfortable.

She decided then and there that she would keep her distance from both of them – that was at least until she got to know them better.

No one had spoken for a while on the bus, they only listened to the many car horns outside going off and the shouts from frightened people. The odd person to risk leaving their cars were immediately jumped by the undead beings, forced into a deadly fight in which they couldn't win.

"Fuck this silence." Keith stood.

"Oi!" Beauregard shouted, "sit your arse down, little man!"

"What the hell? Little man?" Keith stuck out his hip and crossed his arms. "I know I'm barely 5'6 but that's just insulting."

"Grow then," Drake whispered.

There was a low frown from Keith, yet he did not engage in the conversation.

"Even so, you need to sit down."

"Jesus Christ, why does everyone think I'm going to do something stupid?" Keith stretched his arms up, before looking at his skin. The dark bruises were spreading, growing and darkening in colour. He grimaced, covering them by crossing his arms over his bloody white uniform, "shit."

Drake watched him closely, eyebrows casting a shadow over his eyes, Keith was small enough to walk freely through the minibus, his head inches away from the roof. Unlike his height the stance he held was tall, shoulders pushed back and spine straight, the complete opposite of Drake's constant slouch.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"Stretching my legs, besides its too quiet in here and I don't like it."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "I've noticed you don't like a lot of things."

There was no reply from Keith as he staggered ungracefully back to his belongings. He grabbed the guitar case from the seat and opened it, carefully pulling out the acoustic guitar. The wood was clean and shiny, barely a scuff mark across the body. Keith sat back in his seat, looking very small compared to the instrument, with his thumb he plucked at each string once using the pegs to correctly tune them. He sighed, expression calming as he gently strummed, filling the vehicle with a soft yet recognisable tune.

The bus was quiet, the occupants stunned by the music that now filled the space.

"Is that Despacito?" Jack turned in his seat a shit-eating grin plastered on his lips.

There was a sharp twang of a string and the music stopped, a warmth spread across Keith's pale cheeks, "no… why would I play that, that song is shit."

"It so was!"

Keith cleared his throat, playing another tune; one that wasn't quite so popular.

The tune was light, relaxing the stressful situation.

"Ave Maria?" Beauregard whispered, yet his voice travelled clearly to the back of the bus.

Keith nodded, "yes. It's a beautiful song."

"Isn't that hard to play on the guitar?"

"I guess, but I've done sixteen years of a church choir." The strings vibrated gently, "we used to sing this song every other week, after a while, I managed to just play it."

"Damn." Beauregard chuckled enjoying the conversation that brought happy memories back to him, "can you still sing it?"

"Only if you want me to butcher it in German."

"Go on!" Seth jeered loudly, clapping. Jack started laughing as Seth snickered.

Keith deadpanned, "why don't I just play Despacito again and you sing instead, seeing as you can speak Spanish."

"So, it was Despacito!"

Keith rolled his eyes with a hint of annoyance.

Lane looked over to Seth, it was remarkable how he was somehow keeping calm in the situation they were stuck in. She thought back to how normal their lives were before the dead started roaming, everything was so simple. She was doing well at university, was passing every assignment and was about to qualify for the fencing finals, but that meant nothing anymore. University life had been good to her, she had lovely roommates, they were as quirky as they came and now, she couldn't see or imagine her life without them.

Seth and Skylar had shown her around on her first week, the same time the university was having inductions to all the courses and societies.

It was an odd week for her as it was only the first-year students in, being an American in England meant she had no idea what the hell Freshers Week was… but she understood exactly what it was by the time Freshers Flu had hit.

Seth had been an excited little puppy, almost bouncing around and talking to as many new people as possible, as they were heading over to the concert the music students held in the auditorium.

All she remembered at that moment, were the sounds of a sweet piano playing so heavenly.

Ever since she met Keith there was a memory in the back of her mind that she recognised him. Now she knew… he was the one playing that piano. There was no doubt about it, it had been over a year since then and all that had changed to him was a face full of piercings.

Lane leant over Seth and asked Keith a simple question, "Hey, Keith, don't you play the piano?"

The music abruptly stopped.

The air became heavy.

Keith was tense, blue orbs stared down at the guitar in his hands. After a few seconds, he met Lane's gaze, "no. I don't."

"But I saw you play during-"

However, Keith immediately cut her off, "please..."

Everyone froze, completely shocked that the man spoke so compassionately.

"I don't play the piano, so please don't bring it up again."

"Okay…" Lane whispered, "Sorry."

When Keith started playing again the tone of the song had changed ever so slightly, it was sadder, lonelier. The melody of the soft guitar continued to provide a gentle tune as the minibus slowly made its way down towards the motorway.

Beauregard rested his arms on the steering wheel and sighed, it had been a long day and the tiredness was starting to catch up with him. He pulled up the handbrake and looked behind him, he had never met such a strange arrangement of people before. All were much younger than himself and lead very different lives before the outbreak occurred.

He didn't know how they were going to get through their daily lives anymore, he didn't know if they were all even going to survive.

But… this was now the world they lived in.

The unknown was their future and they were all going to fight to stay alive.

Beauregard continued to watch the never-ending traffic. Horns were blaring, cars trying to force their way into the lines that lead out of London. The van wobbled slightly as a truck scraped its side, forcing its way through. Beauregard frowned, not often did he get road rage – after all, he was in the military and new how to remain calm under pressure – but people were driving stupidly putting themselves and others at more risk. He attempted to relax into his seat, reaching forward into the passenger's footwell and grabbing his rucksack, he determined the traffic wouldn't be moving for a while and now would be the best time to check his phone.

His family were all the way in Dover, and he was yet to see any messages or phone calls from them. As he scrolled through the many notifications - deleting the ones that were unimportant – he hoped his family were safe, his sister, brother and parents. He prayed that they were surviving in this world.

"Ah, England you and your terrible construction times."

In the distance there were yellow flashing lights, cars were trying to force their way into the left-hand lane, as large fences blocked the other two due to half-finished work on the roads, leaving two large voids.

The traffic moved, Beauregard quickly pulling forward in first as to not let another driver into his space.

He listened as Ave Maria came to an end and Keith played another tune, this one much more upbeat and faster. Keith continued to play as they managed to get through the traffic, enjoying the moment of calmness before all hell broke loose again.

It took them longer than they thought it would to finally reach the A3 and speed far away from the corrupted capital city of England.

However, they didn't know that there were only more challenges awaiting them the further they got from London.

* * *

**Despacito: (youtube) ****watch?v=DFnTyitFl1I**

**Ave Maria: (youtube) watch?v=LNUJA9N14eM**

**I DONT OWN EITHER OF THEM BLAH BLAH BLAH.**

**Don't you just love it when you want to update early but shit goes down at home and then you have an assignment due?**

**So next update should be around the 25 Nov, as that day is a special occasion for me ^^**

**Thanks for all the support and thank you to the person still editing for meeeee, I looooove yoooou.**

**ARE WE READY TO MEET THE REST OF THE CHARACTERS?!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"I really need to pee," Seth whispered to himself as he crossed his legs.

Issac looked through the gaps between the seats and gave an unimpressed looked, "Seth, really?"

"Oh, come on I can't be the only one who needs to take a piss?" He defended himself loudly, "I haven't had a chance to go to the toilet since I left the apartment this afternoon, since then we've run what's felt like a marathon, got into fights with the living dead and I've almost gone into insulin shock. Literally, there is only so much my bladder can take before it decides to explode."

"I could always pull over and you can do your business in one of the bushes."

Seth looked out the window and cringed at the darkness and disfigured shapes that loomed throughout the trees, "no thanks, I'd rather hold it."

Beauregard laughed lowly to himself, finding the male's reactions amusing. He decided to take pity on the blonde, "I just passed a sign saying that there's a Welcome Break coming up in a quarter of a mile. It might be worth stopping to see if we can grab some supplies."

"Also, a toilet, I require a toilet!" Seth yelled.

Lane then spoke up, "we can't leave the minibus unattended, some of us will have to stay behind."

"I'd rather go in myself, so someone else who can drive needs to stay." Beauregard scratched his chin, "Keith you drive yes?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you need anything vital from the service station?"

"No. Well, nothing I can get from here at least."

"Good, you stay here and get the vehicle ready for when we come back, don't let anyone or anything in."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Drake stood up, "you're leaving him alone with our only way out, do you realise how stupid that is?"

Skylar scoffed, "okay then, do you volunteer to stay with him?"

Drake frowned, "hell no."

"I'll stay." Lane announced, "I'm sure he won't piss me off."

Two sets of blue eyes once again met, yet it wasn't as intense as before. Both of the young adults had calmed down. Jack also stuck a hand in the air, "I'll also stay, that way we have three people here and the rest of you can go quickly in and out."

"So," Alice whispered, "what do we do if the place is overrun with zombies? It's all good making a plan, but if that place is filled with the undead Seth will be peeing on the side of the road."

"Don't jinx it!" Seth groaned, his bladder causing a painful pressure in his stomach, "if I end up peeing outside, I will make sure you'll all feel my wrath."

"You have as much wrath as a kitten," Skylar commented, Seth turned to give an abrupt answer, yet stopped as his mind was blank. The older woman gave a smug smiled, she knew everything about Seth's personality, he could never argue with her.

Beauregard slowed down the minibus, pulling into the slip road for the Welcome Break. The car park was relatively empty, a few people were sprinting with their arms full of goods. Issac peered through the fogged glass of the window, "looks like there aren't many dead beings here."

"Half an hour," Lane stated as the minibus pulled into a parking space and the engine quietened to a stop.

"I agree, half an hour at most." Beauregard turned and looked at everyone, "anyone got any sort of weapons in case we run into trouble."

"I have a few kitchen knives." Skylar pulled out her metallic kitchen appliances.

"Baseball bat," Drake stated.

"I have these." Alice rummaged through her rucksack and pulled what seemed to be a pair of metal tonfas, Beauregard opened his mouth to ask why the heck she was in possession of such items… but decided against it and left himself to only wonder about the small girl.

"I guess I can bring my laptop charger again." Issac pulled out the cable and held it tight in his hand.

Seth grinned sheepishly as he ran a hand through his hair, "I just really need to pee, and I don't have a weapon so please protect me, Issac."

Issac gave Seth a look and shook his head, "why are you so hopeless? Fine, I'll go to the toilet with Seth, everyone else can have a search around for stuff."

"Keith come here." Beauregard waved him to the front of the bus. The small man put his guitar away and walked to the front, ignoring the glares from the rest of the group. He knew that not a single one of them trusted him and he was completely happy with it being that way. Keith climbed into the front seat and tensed as Beauregard placed a hand on his shoulder, "your family is in the military, yes?"

"What…" Keith jolted back from the touch, his head bumping against the window.

"I guessed as much, you're refusing to call your dad, right? Because of where he would be right now."

Keith lowered his gaze, "he's helping his country, it's all I could ask for."

"Help us out and I'll see if I can get you back to him."

"You know a way to do that?"

A smile grew on Beauregard's lips, "my father is a major general, I can get into contact with anyone I want to."

Keith suddenly became motivated, "fine, I'll help."

"Good," Beauregard pushed his hand against the door, "let's go."

"Have fun…" Keith climbed into the driver's seat as Beauregard shut the door behind him.

Drake, Issac, Seth, Alice and Skylar opened the side door and one by one left the safety of their minibus. Lane and Jack shut the door quickly behind them before Keith locked all the doors, secluding the three of them from the outside world.

"They'll be okay in there, right?" Keith stared out the windscreen, watching as the six members of their group ran towards the services.

"You actually care about what happens to them?" Lane asked.

"Not so much care… just… I don't know…"

"You do have a human side after all." Jack leant over the front passenger seat and smiled.

"I'm not a fucking monster."

The three watched in silence as the figures of their newfound group finally disappeared. Despite not liking one another and not talking, they knew they all had the same feeling in their stomachs.

All three of them knew something bad was going to happen.

* * *

"Seth you get in and out of that bathroom, do not under any circumstances get trapped. Everyone must stay in pairs, Issac with Seth, Alice and Skylar, Drake you're with me." Beauregard gave his warning, reloading his rifle with a magazine and readying himself for anything. "Everyone must stay on the lookout; we don't know what kind of people or monsters there are here. We just need a few supplies, such as water and food. When you're done – no matter the time – head back to the minibus."

The large glass doors of the Welcome Break were completely destroyed, shattered beyond repair.

Beings stumbled around inside, it was unclear whether they were the living… or the dead.

"Is this really a good idea?" Issac whispered, peering through the window, "we're completely underprepared for something like this, there is an extremely high chance of something going wrong."

"How high of a chance?" Alice asked.

"Higher than you want to know."

"Well, I have to pee. And I'm sure some of us need some water and food, we're all probably hungry."

There was a low murmur of agreement from everyone.

"Half an hour. That's all we have." Beauregard murmured, "stick together and for god's sake be careful."

Slowly they stepped into the building, glass crunching underneath their feet.

Seth and Issac took off first, the brunette in front of the blonde as they followed to signs towards the bathrooms. Issac's fingers were gripped tightly around his laptop cord, knuckles turning white from the stress, he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't scared. Honestly, he was scared shitless. But he wouldn't show it, not after his little episode on the minibus. He would stay happy; he would keep that smile on his face.

"Get down!" Seth grabbed his shoulders and shoved Issac behind the nearest decorative wall. "Shh…"

The two Scotsmen peered over the wall before them was a Subway dining area and just past that was a single Cashpoint. Three figures were surrounding the machine, swinging long metal poles at it and laughing maniacally as they did so. Ten- and twenty-pound notes flew high into the air, the men stuffing their pockets with the dirty money.

"They're making too much noise…" Issac commented, "look… the zombies are heading for them."

Limping towards them were many undead beings, blood dripping from their mouths and their limbs dragging heavily across the floor. The walking corpses still looked alive, skin flushed pink and blood a brilliant crimson. The two Scotsmen looked around the large dining area, trying to find the safest way through the crowd. With every second that passed, the monsters drew closer to the three men, the hunger they felt leading the way.

"We can't do anything for them, I think they can hold their own anyway… if they can kill a cashpoint, they can kill a few zombies."

"Yeah. Look we have a clear way to the toilets now."

The two managed to silently jog from their hiding spot, down the small walkway that eventually would lead to the men's bathroom. The lights at the end of the corridor were flickering, making the corridor look extremely ominous. With every flash of the light, the bathrooms lit up red with blood, where only the stench of death was ahead.

"Still need to go to the toilet?"

Seth barely managed to swallow the lump in his throat, "unfortunately… yeah…"

"Try not to piss your pants before we get you in there then."

They entered the bathroom, bloody footprints following their every step. The corridor was narrow and long, nerve rackingly so, by the time they got into the actual bathroom both Seth and Issac were uncomfortable. The toilets were almost as dark as the corridor and there was a low hum echoing across the room. The urinals were backed up with god knows what kind of bodily excrement's and parts, completely flooding the floor as water poured loudly from the pipes.

Seth grimaced as his stomach stirred, "that's disgusting, I'm using a cubical…"

They tiptoed over to the nearest door, pushing it open slowly, yet what they came face to face with tested both of their gag reflexes.

A body laid hunched over the toilet bowl… Well, most of a body…

The head was completely torn off from the shoulders, the spinal cord and nervous system spilling from the neck and into the brown water within the toilet. A large puddle of blood surrounded the pale body, clumps of flesh mixed into the thick congealing liquid…

Seth quickly pulled the door closed and covered his mouth as he shook his head, "nope…"

"What the fuck are these creatures doing to us?" Issac breathed deeply, praying his stomach would stop doing somersaults.

Seth didn't have an answer, he turned sharply opening the opposite cubical and thanking the gods up above that it was clean… well, cleanish. He couldn't handle it anymore; he dropped to his knees and released all his stomach into the bowl. Issac cringed and pulled the door closed slightly to give his friend some privacy, he knew that Seth had a good composure but there were just certain things that made him lose it.

Dirty nappies, baby vomit, sickness, diarrhoea, Seth had seen it all thanks to his little brothers and sisters.

But the inside of a decapitated human body just happened to be one of those things that pushed him past his limit.

Issac smiled weakly, feeling like he was the one taking care of Seth for once. He knocked lightly on the door, "you doing alright in there?"

"Yeah… urgh… just give me a few more minutes."

Issac swung his laptop charger lazily in circles, leaning against the side and keeping himself entertained. He started making different patterns with the wires, trying to make as many different shapes as he could. The feeling in the air suddenly grew heavy, making it difficult to breathe, Issac continued to play with the cable; for the moment ignoring the sudden change.

_Thump… thump… _

"Huh?" Issac frowned, "what was that…"

_Thump… thump… _

Orange eyes scanned the area intensely, yet there was nothing. He checked every corner of the room and double-checked to make sure he didn't overlook a single thing, surely nothing had followed them in, and they had made sure the small area of toilets they occupied were free from the dead. Yet, something in the bathroom was causing his stomach to become unsettled, the anxious feeling only growing with every second.

Something was heading their way, slowly… but surely.

_Thump… thump… _

"What the…"

There was a loud squelch as something heavy hit the floor. Issac's eyes widened and his head slowly turned. Fear pulsated through his veins, at the other end of the bathroom was a demonic sight. A large, monstrous being stood there, its limbs throbbing and skin grey as veins all over its bloated body had burst, staining the pale skin with sickly, black blood.

In the hand of the monster was a decapitated head, the skin completely gnawed off and eyes hanging by the sockets. Now Issac knew what exactly happened to the body he and Seth had found.

It was something completely different from anything he had seen yet.

There was something wrong with the being...

It was bigger…

Scarier…

And carried a far more dangerous presence.

For a second he wondered if this being would be like the others, stupid enough to ignore him if he stood in silence. Issac locked eyes with the creature and in that moment, he knew that it could sense him. A loud crunch echo towards Issac as the being threw the fleshy head onto the floor, losing interest in the body part and homing in on something much fresher.

Staying still would definitely not work on this being…

"Seth!" There wasn't an answer from the older man. Issac slammed open the door, startling Seth who had just finished peeing and was pulling up the zip of his jeans. "Seth, we have to go now!"

"¡Issac! No me asustes así." Seth immediately froze when he saw the fear in his friend's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"We have to get out of here!" Issac grabbed Seth's wrist dragging him from the cubical, and back towards the entrance of the bathroom. By now, the creature had locked in on their scent. Changing its course and sprinting towards them, barrelling into anything in its path, knocking over and destroying the toilet doors as it did so.

"¿Qué diablos es esa cosa?" Seth stumbled as both he and Issac ran for their lives. They ran around the toilets, not paying attention to where they were running as they ran straight past the small exit corridor and instead back towards the urinals. The cannibalistic being was now on their heels, making it impossible to turn back for the exit…

They would have to make a full loop of the bathroom.

They sprinted past the urinals, shoes sinking deep into the flood of waste and blood. The creature lunged for them with a dislocated arm, thankfully it missed Issac's hoodie by millimetres as its body slipped on the floor and crashed into the wall. There was a loud clatter as the urinals broke from their places, spraying the Scotsman with murky water. Issac skidded on the ground; his boots having lost all grip thanks to the amount of liquid. He splashed into the flood on the floor, Seth immediately tripping over him and landing across his back.

Seth managed to regain his senses, having been dazed from the tumble. He crawled off Issac, shaking his head free from as much water as he could, which was almost impossible as the two were continuously sprayed with a steady stream of urinal water. Issac jolted up spitting up some of the water that had splashed into his mouth, never in his life had he tasted something so disgusting. He was probably infected with all sorts of diseases now.

The monster shrieked as it found their scents again, manically twitching as it dragged its body towards the two of them.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Issac dropped the laptop charger in the panic and jumped to his feet, pulling Seth with him.

Their clothes were heavy, now saturated with the dirty water of the bathroom. Issac rubbed his face, brushing off as much as he could as he gasped for breath. They continued their run around the cubicles, screaming loudly when the undead being crashed into the nearest wall as it jumped for them once more.

"What the hell is that!" Seth shouted as they made it back to the narrow corridor. They pushed themselves through the space, an ear-shattering scream escaped both of them when the being appeared behind them, barely a grasp away.

Its eyes were bulging from the sockets, never losing sight of its prey… Every stride it took was almost double what Issac and Seth could manage, it was only getting closer to them and they didn't know if they would be able to escape its clutches for much longer.

Both men were rapidly running out of stamina, the extra weight of their clothing only making every step harder. They didn't know if they were going to make it out of there alive.

"Run faster! We're getting out of here!"

They exploded out from the corridor, gaining a rush of adrenaline from the wide-open space of the dining area. But no matter how fast they ran there was a stench following them, they couldn't escape. Soon they were back where they started, reaching the same decorative wall they were hiding behind only minutes earlier.

Issac gracefully leapt over the decorative wall, a hand firmly placed on the top as his legs swung over, he landed with barely a stumble despite his waterlogged shoes. Seth followed close behind, literally throwing himself over the wall and hitting the floor face first with a bang. The two kept close to the floor, praying that they were hidden from the creature's eyesight.

The monster, however, didn't jump over the wall and instead ran straight into it, it's body crippling before the chest-high obstacle.

Issac looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened as he noticed the being's struggle.

"Seriously? It can't follow us over a simple wall. Come on Seth we can leave now!" Issac grabbed Seth's pink shirt, yanking him back towards the entrance.

The glass crunched once more as they ran from the Welcome Break. The sky was still cast over with thick black clouds – but seeing as it was the middle of the night in England – it was bound to be pitch black anyway. The two men had never been so happy to see the glowing lighting within the university minibus, the car park was still empty besides their ride. The two men ran for their lives, wanting only to sit down and catch their breath after the hell they just faced. Issac slammed into the side of the minibus first, yanking the large sliding door open and allowing both himself and Seth to jump in quickly. They fell into the nearest seats, gasping and finally relaxing after the strenuous run.

"Issac? Seth?" Lane pulled the side door closed, "you two are back early. It's barely been ten minutes."

Jack laughed as he noticed both their flushed red faces, "did you manage to reach a toilet in time?"

Seth didn't even have the energy to speak, he could only give a shaky thumbs-up as a reply.

Keith stuck his head around the front seat and frowned when he saw the puddle of murky water the two men were forming on the floor, "why are you both soaking wet?"

"We had a little problem with the toilets." Issac sat up and took off his hoodie, he dropped it on the seat next to him; the fabric landing with a heavy thump. He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing as the curly strands got all knotted.

"A little problem is a bit of an understatement."

"So, what happened?" Jack asked.

"When the others get back, we'll tell you. But no one is going to like what we just dealt with."

* * *

Alice and Skylar walked side by side through the Welcome Break. The two small girls were taking their time, making sure they were safe before taking any risks. So far, they had managed to avoid any monstrous beings, shunning the shops and areas that were infested. Alice was keeping a close eye on the time, keeping track that it had already been ten minutes since they had left the bus, and yet they had found nothing… It felt like they would be going back to the group with nothing to satisfy their growing hunger and thirst.

They jumped at the sound of a crash and low voices echoing through the building.

"I seriously hope that wasn't one of our idiots." Skylar spared a look behind her, checking that no beings had followed them into the corridor.

"What if it was?"

Skylar chuckled, a dark grin growing across her lips, "well if it's one of the other guys I'll just be annoyed but if its Seth I'm going to beat his fucking arse."

"Why are you so hard on him? Aren't you his friend?"

"Exactly, I am his friend."

"Doesn't seem like a good kind of relationship."

Skylar shrugged, "not every friendship is the same."

Alice wanted to know more about the other small women, she felt like Skylar was easy to talk to. If she was speaking the truth, Alice thought that most of the guys and Lane were a little intimidating, as every time she spoke to them it felt like they were almost a head taller than her – looking down on her.

She wished she could talk to them all more than she did…

Yet she never would.

"How long have you known Lane and Seth?"

"Seth? Four almost five years now. And I've known Lane for about two years." Skylar twirled the kitchen knife around her fingers. "What about you? You go to our university, right?"

"Yeah, I was a first-year though."

"Ah, I miss first-year, the booze, the lack of worries, the boys…" Skylar giggled and ran a hand through her curly locks.

Alice didn't have a reply to Skylar, they passed a small store, she poked the brunette's arm and stopped her from walking. "Look a Waitrose. Should we check in there?"

"Yeah, there might be something in there."

Truthfully, they found barely anything apart from a few digestive biscuits and three bottles of crappy Volvic strawberry water, but they were running out of time. They were closing in on twenty minutes and had already checked most of the stores on their side of the Welcome Break.

"I think we should head back," Skylar shoved the biscuits into her jacket pocket, "someone's bound to like this shitty water."

It didn't take them long to follow their path back to the minibus, being in no rush and staying quiet to not raise attention to themselves. The walk across the carpark was seemingly pleasant, no beings were about and so the two girls could stroll back to the minibus, the cool breeze on their necks.

Alice knocked on the side door, waiting for someone to open it. Jack slid open the door and the two climbed in, dumping their goodies on an empty seat. Alice looked down, her long fringe casting a shadow over her eyes, "this is all we could find, everything else has already been raided."

"Hey," Jack smiled, shutting the door, "we didn't expect much to be here anyway, you run into any trouble?"

Skylar stretched, elbows popping, "not a single thing, it was a little boring really…" her nose caught a whiff of something stale in the air, "what the fuck is that smell?"

Lane smirked crossing her arms over her chest, "that would be Seth and Issac."

Skylar and Alice stared over to the two Scotsmen who both looked like drowned rats, with clothes stained with god knows what and hair firmly knotted and stuck to their skin.

"You know… I'm not even going to ask."

* * *

There was a heavy awkwardness between Drake and Beauregard, one that both of them knew was there and neither were willing to act on. They were yet to say a single word to one another as both of them were thinking the same thing, in which was that it wasn't essential to force an unnecessary conversation.

The two were polar opposites… Even from a first glance, where Beauregard was fair with blonde hair, Drake was dark-haired and olive-skinned… Both thought it would be a miracle if they had anything in common.

Yet, from what Drake had seen, Beauregard cared about the people they had picked up in the minibus, they may have no idea who one another were… but he respected that the guard still cared for the people of his country.

They were on the other side of the Welcome Break to Alice and Skylar, hopefully on route to find some food and drink for their journey to the safe place.

"Costa will have bottles of water, should it?" Drake asked, resting the baseball bat on his shoulder.

"They should do, if not on show, they should have some in a supply room."

The two wandered into the Costa yet immediately stopped in their tracks. The dining area itself was empty, chairs and tables pushed all over the place, multiple food and drinks were thrown across the room. But that wasn't the issue, the problem was behind the counter itself, where a group of six undead beings were pounding on the door of the supply room.

"We should leave," Beauregard whispered, slowly backing off.

"Shouldn't they be interested in us?" The perplexed frown grew on Drake's lips.

"I'm sure it's a good thing that they aren't interested in us."

Drake rolled his eyes, "what I'm saying is; what's in there that's attracting them?"

Beauregard now understood what Drake was getting at, he had noticed before – when he was saving Alice from a small hoard – that the beings were attracted to loud noises, they were far more interested in the girl's screaming than him still and silent on the ground.

"Do you think there's someone trapped inside?"

"There might be," Beauregard held his weapon tight; he really didn't want to shoot them as the noise would only attract more. "if we hit them hard and fast, they won't have a chance of retaliating or calling others."

"Sounds like I finally get to take out some rage." Drake stepped forth, bat in the swinging position.

The two ran for the crowd, Drake smashing his bat into the nearest head while Beauregard plunged his blade into another being. Instantaneously the bodies fell to the floor, completely lifeless. Just like that, a third of the danger was eradicated. Almost as if the battle was planned, the two men worked in sync, both having similar techniques as they fought the other beings. Drake swung his bat in a large circle, squashing a being's head against the supply room door. A beautiful – yet completely disgusting – pattern of blood and brain fluid spattered against the door, Drake found himself covering his nose as a rotten smell rose from the corpse.

"One left!" Beauregard had his blade sunk into the neck of one of the final corpses, using his booted foot to force his weapon deeper until the body ceased to move.

Drake took the last being, dodging as it lazily lunged for him. The corpse looked young, the human it used to be couldn't have been much older than himself, it gave him an odd feeling. It could have been him; he could still be trapped within his apartment or worse; he could have been killed already.

But it seemed like that wasn't going to happen just yet.

He swung his bat upwards, colliding the splintering wood with the jaw of the being. The jaw flew off the corpse, screeching as it fell to the floor, Drake spared no second and brought down the end of his bat onto what was left of the head, destroying the monster.

Together – somehow – they had worked as a team, defeating the monsters that guarded the door.

A sense of pride grew within Beauregard, he could feel that Drake was a strong young man, he may have come across as arrogant and stubborn, but at least he had his priorities straight and was willing to help out when he was needed. The guard kicked the unmoving bodies from behind the counter and lightly knocked on the supply room door, "Hello, anyone in there?"

There was a bang as someone stumbled to their feet and ran to the door, their voice high, "fucking yes there is someone in here!"

The two men were honestly not expecting an answer, it surprised them both.

"It's clear out here now, you can come out."

"Nope."

Drake wiped the bat on his trousers, cleaning it from blood and grime, "what do you mean 'nope'?"

"The lock got jammed when I shut the door with force, I'm literally holding the door handle as it flew off breaking the lock."

"Ah…"

"So, can you get me out?"

"Sure," Drake wandered over, "step back!" He swung the bat up before sharply bringing it down on the door handle, there was a loud clang as it broke from the door, allowing the locking mechanism to break apart and letting the door swing open.

"Thank fucking god!" A young woman in the brown barista uniform of Costa stepped out, her electric blue hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and hidden underneath a cap. She gave a smile, "I've been stuck in there for over five hours, I owe you guys one."

"Well is there any water we can have from in there?" Drake asked.

"Sure," she gestured into the cupboard. "Help yourselves."

The men nodded.

"So, do you mind if I stick with you guys? I have nothing but this cake slice to my name and I'm not in the mood to die today."

"Well, I don't have a problem with it." Beauregard stated, "Drake?"

Drake was going through the shelves picking up a couple of boxes of cereal bars, "I don't care what she does, but it's not just the two of us remember, we're a group of nine."

"Nine? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. They're waiting for us on a minibus in the carpark, if we don't get back soon, they'll leave for their safety."

There was a loud groan from outside the supply cupboard.

"We have to leave now, we're almost out of time," Drake stated.

"I'm Alex, by the way. May we survive together and kick the dicks of the undead."

Beauregard couldn't help but chuckle, at least she had a sense of humour.

"The entrance is probably busy by now if we go out the staff exit it'll be safer."

Drake lowered his eyebrows, "what do you mean?"

"Did you not hear it?"

"What?"

"Someone made a big noise on the other side of this building, and everything had become much livelier. Everything is crowding the entrance."

"How can you tell?"

Alex smiled, turning her cap around and pocketing the cake slice, "I've worked here since I was seventeen, you just pick up a few things by the sounds here. Everything echoes."

The men gave each other a look, if Alex was right, they had no way of getting out of there in five minutes… Keith would leave them behind if they took any longer than that.

"Okay, we'll follow you."

The three ran from the Costa, Drake once again slamming the bat into the nearest corpse they came across. For being such as small girl Alex was faster than both of them, she led the way, showing them the quickest way out of the Welcome Break. She took them through a staff-only corridor, where at the end was a small side door, "this leads to the carpark."

They left the building following the side path and eventually found themselves back at the carpark.

However, half an hour had changed so much, bodies now roamed the empty space, all of them stumbling in a certain direction.

"Shit, we have to get to the minibus now!"

Once again, they took off, in the distance they could see the blue minibus, its lights already on and the engine rumbling lowly.

But that wasn't all…

The driver's door was wide open, and they could hear a certain someone screaming, "get the fuck off me!"

"Shit!"

A large man was trying to pull Keith from the minibus, while two more were holding the side and back doors shut, preventing the others from helping. He could see that Issac had grabbed under Keith's armpits from the back of the bus, somehow managing to keep the small man in the minibus.

The man had a tight hold on Keith's ankles, pulling sharply. A cry of pain escaped Keith's throat, "fucking get off me! You're hurting me!"

"Then get out you fucking child! Play nice and I'll stop hurting you."

Sharp fingernails dug into the skin of Keith's ankles and he screamed again, however this time he was much louder, determined to attract every undead being to his presence. He tried to kick the man away, but every attempt failed; leading to Keith being pulled further from the seat. Lane had jumped forwards, squeezing her upper body through the gap between the seats in an effort to help Issac keep hold of Keith. Despite the angle she managed to grab Keith's shirt, pulling him back with as much force as she could.

Yet their efforts were not working, Keith slipped from Issac's grasp and hit his head on the handbrake. Lane momentarily lost her hold on the volleyball shirt, barely managing to grasp his hands in time before he was thrown from the bus.

Lane groaned as her body was tightly wedged between the seats, her hips in a severely painful position. "I've got you, Keith!"

Lane was surprised when Keith tightly gripped her hands in return, teeth gritted together tightly.

As much as Drake disliked Keith, he couldn't stand by when the guy was in such obvious need of help. He sprinted from Beauregard and Alex, dodging the undead beings that reached for him with their deadly fingers. When he was close enough, Drake rammed his shoulder into the man's ribs, satisfied when he heard the crunch of bones breaking under the force.

The man released Keith, who slipped from the seat and landed on the gravel, his hands still tightly grasped in Lane's own. Both Drake and the man hit the ground, skidding away from the minibus. Unhurt, Drake climbed to his feet, giving a sharp kick at the crying man's stomach.

"He said to fuck off." Drake glared.

"You bastard!" The other two men let go of the doors, running for Drake with metal pipes in the swinging position.

A loud explosion rippled through the air, and the man closest to Drake fell to the ground. Beauregard ran forwards, guarding Drake's back and rifle firmly pointed at the last man on his feet.

"You shot him…"

"I shot his thigh in a very un-life-threatening area," Beauregard stated, eyes dark, "it's his own fault he has no pain resistance."

The man stumbled back; face contorted with fear as he noticed a large crowd of the undead were heading right their way.

"Leave."

"No!" the man begged, "take me with you, please! I didn't mean to hurt anyone I just wanted to be somewhere safe!"

Keith growled, "fuck off."

Drake looked around from behind the slightly taller man, "I agree with him for once. Fuck off."

Without a second thought, the man turned and ran, dodging the beings that were heading for the minibus.

"Speaking of leaving let's get out of here!" Beauregard shouted, opening the side door allowing Drake and Alex to jump into the back of the minibus.

Keith allowed Lane to pulled him back into the driver's seat where he turned to her and Issac giving them both a small nod, "thank you."

Lane smiled, "no problem."

Issac gave a nod in return. They both returned to the back of the minibus, making space for Keith to shuffle over to the passenger seat and Beauregard to jump in after shutting the side door. As he slammed the driver's door, the hands of the undead collided with the windows and sides of the minibus, rocking it left and right.

"Go!"

With the engine already started, Beauregard managed to quickly push the gear stick into first and pull away, running over a few of the dead. The minibus bounced slightly as it ran over the heavy bodies, but they soon arrived on flat ground again, speeding back onto the motorway.

"Everyone alright?" Jack called loudly. There was a mixture of nods and groans from the group. The older male stuck his head through the front seats, "Keith?"

Keith had his feet on the seat and his trainers were in the bottom of the footwell, he was checking his ankles, a worried frown on his face. Jack couldn't see very well, considering how dark it was, yet he noticed Keith was lightly poking at some dark red marks where the hands of the man had been.

"Hey? Keith, you alright?"

"Huh?" He looked around, placing his feet back on the floor. "Yeah."

Jack couldn't help but feel worried, he couldn't have been the only one to notice that Keith was almost covered head to toe in bruises, but now wasn't the time to bring it up. There were far more important things to worry about, much like the new person with neon blue hair who was sat awkwardly in the middle of the bus.

Beauregard called back, "just to let everyone know; this is-"

"Alexandria?" A stunned Skylar interrupted.

"Skylar?" Alex's brown eyes were wide, voice unbelieving of what she saw.

"You bitch!" Skylar launched herself at the equally small girl.

Alex caught her, falling back into the seat. They laughed at one another, "Skye you dumbass, how are you here?"

"I feel like I'm missing some big development here," Issac stated.

Skylar laughed, helping the other girl back to a sitting position, "this is my cousin Alexandria Thursday."

"Cousin?" Seth yelled, "you actually have a family member you like? And she's hot, why was I not informed."

"Exactly for this reason. You would hit on her."

Seth smiled, looked over Skylar and to Alex, "who wouldn't want to hit on her, have you seen how stunning she is?"

A loud laugh came from Alex, "this must be Seth. Sorry, dude, you're not my type."

Seth gasped and dropped back into his seat, hair still dripping with water.

"So why the hell are you and Issac soaking wet."

"Oh my gosh, let me tell you!" Seth shouted.

Keith complained, "shh, too noisy!"

"Right sorry, but listen, we were in the bathroom and it was pretty flooded, we found a decapitated body."

Issac interjected, "Seth threw up, and then decided to pee straight after."

"Seth that's disgusting." Lane recoiled, biting her lip.

"I know, but it was a dire situation."

Issac pushed off his steel-toed boots and kicked them away, his socks were completely drenched, it was a gross feeling as he peeled them off. He then continued, "there was then this big fucking monster in the toilets."

Beauregard tuned in on the conversation, "how big?"

"Bigger than anything yet, it was different… Its skin was almost bulging, and it was strong too, it knocked over all the cubicles as we ran around the bathroom. We fell over by the urinals, the thing destroyed the wall and in turn, broke the pipes. Hence we are soaking."

Seth pulled off his dirty white jumper and twisted it ringing out the toilet water. He sighed, "I need a shower, I stink."

"Soon Seth, we're about forty minutes away from Guildford, right?" Beauregard asked.

Keith nodded in reply.

"So, Alice, Skylar what did you girls find?"

Alice pulled her rucksack over, "sadly nothing much, most the shops had already been cleared out, we got a couple of drinks but that's about it."

"That should be alright, it's enough for the night," Jack stated.

Beauregard sighed watching as the empty road of the motorway drone on, "get some rest everyone. We'll be there soon enough."

* * *

**Okay so... As this was supposed to be up on the 25 November 2019:**

**Happy Birthday to me **

**Happy Birthday to me **

**Happy Birthday to meeeeeee.**

**HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEE!**

**So today/yesterday (GMT) I turned 21! Yay!**

**And now I have to go prepare for my mother's birthday (26th) aha... November is expensive.**

**Next update: After 13th December but before new years.**

**See you then!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Saying that the minibus was currently a lovely place to be was a severe understatement.

Because honestly… It was pretty grim.

To start with, there was a constant stench of sewage coming from two of the occupants, which no one was happy to experience. Seth and Issac were both sat at the back, having taken off as many of their wet clothes as possible. Issac pulled off his jumper exposing his extremely damp sea-green shirt, the fabric clinging to his slender body. A small puddle of water gathered underneath both him and Seth, the smell of soggy clothing growing as they slowly air-dried. Seth had been far more revealing than Issac, pulling off his shirt along with the jumper, the candy floss coloured fabric had become an amalgamation of many stains and god only knew what else.

Both young men had taken off their shoes and socks, only adding to the unpleasant smell by adding the stench of sweaty feet.

Seth twisted the water out of his shirt, completely fighting the temptation to twist the wet shirt up more and snap it at Issac's side. Eventually – after a needlessly long debating session with both sides of his brain – he decided against it as Issac would most definitely kill him…

"Seth please put your shirt back on; no one wants to see you half-naked."

Normally Seth would have bickered back, making a smartass and playful comment… but now wasn't the time, frankly, he was way too tired. Instead, he pulled the damp fabric back over his head – holding back his cringe from the damp aroma – and proceeded to stare out the window. Not that there was anything to see within the darkness. Issac decided to throw their leftover wet clothing to the furthest corner of the minibus, away from everyone. But the smell was still somewhat there, thankfully so much less intense than before.

The low conversations throughout the bus were barely louder than a whisper, while some tried to keep their minds off the outside world with idle conversation others were keeping to themselves. Surprisingly the loudest voice of all were the orders of Keith, "you need to speed up."

"Kind of difficult when this minibus barely goes above sixty," Beauregard muttered.

More and more vehicles joined the motorway, all of which raced passed as they were not forced to obey the speed limit that Beauregard was required to do. It did make Beauregard grumble a little bit, well, actually more than a little. He was beginning to get pissed off; he was tired, stressed and now he was stuck doing a ridiculous pace as everyone fled for their lives.

Keith was staring absentmindedly out the front of the bus, chewing on the piercing in his lips.

"Everything alright?" Jack asked from behind the front seat, he had been keeping an eye on the younger male since they had got back on the road; he looked tense, almost nervous. Jack reached down the side of the seat and pulled one of the levers, the seat reclined flat abruptly with Keith yelping as he fell backwards.

"The fuck?"

Before Keith had the chance to sit up, Jack held him down with a hand to the shoulders, "you really need to calm down and relax, because you're going to stress yourself to death."

"I am calm."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "you're really not."

"Fine! I'm not! But why do you care if I'm stressed out? After all, it's just an apocalypse, it's just the end of the world, flesh-eating monsters are out to get us, we have no idea what we are doing, and we have no clue if we are going to survive! Of course! I have so many fucking reasons to be calm."

Both Jack and Beauregard spared a concerned look to Keith; in all honesty, he was just expressing what they were all feeling.

Jack gave a warm smile and let Keith sit up, "do you feel better now?"

Keith frowned and looked away, crossing his arms and sulking in a very childish matter. Jack sat on the top of the reclined seat, unable to say anything else. The other members of the group had homed in on Keith's outburst, even without meaning to.

It made everything just that much more awkward.

Before they knew it, the roads were getting busy, dangerously so. Every car, van and lorry that raced by them was cutting it close, horns blared as they swerved around the minibus. Beauregard swore that one lorry, in particular, dinked the minibus's side, knocking the minivan into the lay by, it was a slight struggle to prevent the minibus from spinning out of control. A string of swear words spilt from Beauregard's mouth as he sharply turned the wheel avoiding a collision with a red car that zoomed past.

"Watch where you're going, motherfucker!" Drake shouted at the back of the car through his window.

Everyone was wide-eyed, knocked from their conversations as the minibus rocked side to side.

"Can't we go one minute without getting almost killed?" Issac groaned.

Skylar and Alex laughed.

Alice stated, "nope; that would just make the apocalypse easier."

Lane sighed, "not like the world wants to make it easy for us."

"Well, that was terrifying." Jack gave a nervous laugh. In the panic, Jack hadn't noticed the sharp pain in his hand. His hands had been resting in his lap, in the stress of keeping the minibus on its wheels another hand had tightly grabbed a hold of his, nails almost breaking the skin. He hissed, "Keith! Let go!"

"Let go!"

"You're hurting me!"

Lane stood and walked to the front, she looked down at the two of them. Keith had grabbed Jack's hand, squeezing the poor man as his life depended on it. His back was ridged against the door and skin was a sickly grey.

"Keith, are you okay?" Lane asked, sitting down next to him. Though she wasn't fond of the small man it was obvious he wasn't doing alright, he was scared like all of them. She reached down and attempted to pry the nails out of the back of Jack's hand, which turned out to be a lot harder than anticipated.

"Let go!" Alice yelled.

Jack growled as the nails sank deeper.

Drake slammed his hand against the window, "Shorty, release!"

Lane looked over to Keith, not really sure what she should do to calm him down. His jaw was tight, eyes wide, it almost looked like he was going to be sick. She stopped trying to pry his hand from Jack's and instead started speaking softly, "you play the guitar really well, what's your favourite kind of music?"

Keith didn't even spare her a glance.

"I pictured you as this punk or heavy metal kind of guy, so the classical was a surprise."

No answer.

"I like jazz personally, it's soothing…"

His voice broke, "jazz?"

Lane smiled at Keith, "yeah, Gregory Porter, Esperanza Spalding, creators like them."

"That's where you're wrong…" It took a few more moments for Keith to finally let go of Jack's hand. The older male sighed, rubbing the now deep grooves in his peach skin.

"I'm wrong?"

"Yeah."

"How so?"

"Good jazz comes from people like Chet Baker and Art Tatum."

"Ah, they are impressive musicians." Lane shuffled to lean against the door next to Keith, "can you play Jazz?"

"I guess."

It was slightly awkward for Lane to converse with the petite male, he made her extremely uncomfortable, but every now and then, she knew that everyone needed someone to talk to. After all, Lane knew what it was like to be terrified, to be scared so much that it felt like the world was against you no matter where you turned.

The moment was broken by an annoyed Drake, "what is wrong with you?"

Keith frowned, "it's none of your business"

"You grabbed Jack like he was a stress toy."

"Shut-" He paused, blue eyes glaring up at Drake, "-up."

"Something is seriously wrong in that head of yours."

"Just shut up you asshole, what's wrong with me is none of your concern!"

Drake sneered, "you actually admit that something is wrong with you then?"

Lane shuffled back as she felt the tension building between the two men and she really didn't like the idea of getting caught between it. One at a time they were just about tolerable, but together… they were unmanageable.

Keith spat harshly, "everyone has something wrong with them! No one on this bus or even in this world is perfect, mentally, physically, and I'm almost one hundred percent sure you are just as messed up as me, maybe even more so."

Everyone stiffened at the harsh words.

"I know something is fucking wrong with me, but you are not at liberty to know what it is. So, don't chew my ass out saying that I'm the one who's got something wrong in my head."

"You little shit." Drake stomped forwards but was stopped as Jack stood and raised his hand.

Beauregard immediately cut in before World War Three broke out, "okay, okay, stop! Keith, shut up and calm down. Drake, you can also shut up and go back to your seat."

Drake growled, shaking his head as he turned back around and walked to his own seat.

"You two need to start getting along; you are acting like children! Now is not the time to be at each other's throats," Beauregard yelled, "so help me if you two can't stop shouting at each other – when we get to the safe house – I will sit you both in a chair and made you hold hands until you have all gushy feelings about one another."

Lane shielded her mouth as she coughed slightly, covering up a laugh that was threatening to break out. Jack was grinning at her, both of them refusing to make eye contact with the now very red Keith or the equally pissed Drake.

"Right, now let me drive in peace, I'm done being the babysitter for today!" Beauregard tried to calm himself down, despite being the oldest member of the group he didn't enjoy being the makeshift father for two problem men who were barely out of their teenage years. They passed a large blue sign showing the choice of a turn in half a mile, "there's a slip road here?"

"Take that exit!" Keith immediately spoke up.

Alex yawned, "but isn't staying on this road the quickest way to Guildford?"

"Yeah, but we're not exactly going to Guildford, are we?" Keith mocked, "I'm taking you all to my lovely home and another way to get there is on the backroads. This way we can avoid all city areas and stay away from the weird cannibal creature things."

"We could get stuck on a backroad or lost, it's not worth the fucking risk." Skylar glared, "so we might as well stay on the here."

"Like you would know, you live in London, not in the middle of nowhere! Besides, this road is going to get backed up very soon, everyone heading South-East is going to get on the A3, it's going to get busier than the Student Union Shop on Fresher's Week. Plus, people are driving like idiots and I do not want to be in an… accident."

"He's right you know." Jack stated unhappily, "if we get stuck in traffic or get in a collision this close to the city, we're as good as dead if a large number of those dead beings close in."

Lane looked out of the window, "it might be best to get onto some smaller roads if everyone is heading to the main roads the back roads will be empty…"

Beauregard nodded, somewhat agreeing with the decision. As they closed in on the exit, he found that the traffic lights were not working, it was a gamble that they would make it safely through the next exit. Taking the risk, Beauregard accelerated through.

The new road was a single carriageway, barely lit with the few streetlights that were still working. Compared to the A3 there were no other vehicles… they were still unsure about whether that was a good thing or not. He managed to get the minivan back up to a steady speed, no longer weary of the possibility of crashing into another scared driver.

BEEP

"What was that?" Lane asked

Keith crawled up from his seat and looked to the dashboard. He obstructed Beauregard's view, who really wasn't happy with the small man almost in his lap. Keith cringed, "we need petrol."

"You have got to be shitting me?" Drake exclaimed.

"Oh, take that stick out of your arse, I think there's a BP just up the road, ten minutes away tops." Keith rested his head in a hand. "It's not around any houses so it's likely to be safe."

"It'll have to do."

Trees on either side of the road slowly started to build up in numbers, foliage overshadowing the stars in the clear sky. Beauregard slowed down, trying to lower the amount of noise the van was making. When the flickering lights of a petrol station came into view Beauregard slammed on the breaks, wincing when there were multiple protests of everyone falling from their seats.

Drake somehow stayed on his feet, albeit very ungracefully as he tripped back to the front of the minibus, "what the?" He then looked out the window and sneered, "backroads will be safe, huh?"

It seemed like Keith was extremely wrong on this occasion. The petrol station was completely overrun, shadows heavily stalking towards the carcasses that were mutilated on the floor. Beauregard turned off the lights, pulling the van slowly into the trees, shielding the minibus from view. He turned off the engine and rested his head against the wheel as he groaned; he was getting too old and tired for this shit.

"We can't go anywhere else; we're running on fumes at this point."

"Damn, so we have no choice but to fight our way through that… hell…," Jack whispered.

It was going to be a blood bath.

"You're also forgetting something…" Alex said leaning forwards, "a worker on the inside has to press a button to allow use to the pump, the petrol doesn't come out freely."

"Shit."

"So," Alice stood, "let me get this straight. We have to get through those things while someone willingly goes inside like a human sacrifice and turns on the pump, and then we have to somehow fill up the minibus and get out without losing a single person."

"Yep…"

Issac then shouted at Keith, "how were you and your volleyball team going to get to Southampton for a game with barely enough fuel to get out of London?"

"I'm sorry that the living dead started eating people and made me forget that I had to fill up the minibus, shit happens!"

Issac was going to react but Seth grabbed his arm and shook his head, Issac huffed as he slumped back into the seat.

"So, who volunteers to go turn the pump on?" Beauregard asked.

Seth spoke up, "the better question is who is the fastest person here, we need probably two people who can get in and out without getting caught."

"Is that you volunteering Seth?" Skylar inquired.

"Nope, I'm pretty sure my body will die if I run anymore."

"Keith you seem like you're dressed for sport, up for a run?"

Keith shook his head violently, "hell no, I specialise in launching myself after balls, not running."

There was a splutter of laughter.

Keith turned red in the cheeks, "shit! No! I mean-"

"You go for the balls, do you?"

Lane quickly spoke up before Keith could engage in another argument, "I'll go in, who wants to come with me."

"I'll go, I have some energy to burn." Alex bounced on the balls of her feet, a smile on her face.

"Okay then, Keith you fill her up, the rest of us let's go kick some ass," Beauregard stated, turning the engine back on.

"Cap's on the left side, can you pull right up to the first pump?"

"Sure."

The young women stretched out their legs for the run, Lane grabbing one of the sabres from her fencing bag, the metal was shiny as she ran her fingers gently along the blade. Oh, how the world had changed; never in a million years did she think she would be using such a precious piece of equipment to commit such a disgusting act. She broke from her thoughts when Alex bumped their hips together, "ready?"

Alex was somehow smiling brightly, a set of perfectly straight teeth – probably due to the help of braces – shining up at Lane. Did this girl even have a negative side? Lane gave a nod, unsure if there was really another way for her to respond.

One by one they each grabbed their weapons, hoping it would be enough to help them battle through. It was scary… they were getting ready to battle…

It took less than a second for everyone to gather by the doors, prepared to jump out of the minibus. Beauregard started the engine back up and pulled away quickly. Bodies turned to face the rumbling of the engine, barely having a second to act on their primal urges as the minibus rammed through the rotten pieces of flesh. Body after body hit the floor with a disgusting splat, wheels skidding in the sticky pools of congealed blood.

Beauregard pulled up next to one of the petrol pumps, slamming on the breaks and crushing a body under the wheels. He pulled out the keys and passed them to Keith before arming his rifle, "let's go!"

Lane grabbed the side door and yanked it open…

They charged outside, bodies surrounding them in seconds, the growls filling the empty space. Eyes rolled back into their skulls, more focused on the sounds than the actual sight of living human beings.

Drake took first blood as he swung his baseball bat upward into the chin of a beast. Blood spattered high into the air, staining everything it touched. From the sheer force, the body flew backwards, a grin unable to stop itself crawling onto Drake's lips as the corpse collapsed into two others. He swung the bat to the ground, his stomach slightly churred at the sound of the grotesque fluids sliding from the chipped wood. Without a second thought, he was immediately onto the next body, with expert movements of the bat he cleared a path for the others to get out of the minibus.

Beauregard barrelled out of the driver's seat, eyes locked on his first target as he lunged forth and cracked the base of his rifle swiftly against the jaw of the being. There was a sickening pop as the joint obviously dislocated and the body fell, Beauregard crushing the head heavily under his heel.

"Go!"

Skylar and Alice were next out of the minibus, both of them rushing into the mess shoulder to shoulder and taking out a body each. Skylar slamming one of her larger knives into the eye socket of a being, before kicking it to the ground… she still couldn't stop herself from gagging at the sight. She couldn't even look down at the face of the person she had just killed, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Alice grabbed Skylar, pulling her out of the way as a disjointed mouth reached for the brunette. To protect Skylar, Alice swung her tonfas upwards and into the mouth of the approaching being, her eyes dark as the metal broke through the palate of the skull, blood running down her weapon and arm. The corpse was over six-foot-tall, weighing the small blonde down, she growled struggling to push the body away. Skylar regained her composure and jumped to her feet, together the equally small girls shoved the body away before standing back to back.

"You good?" Alice huffed, arms in a defensive position.

Skylar nodded, "yeah."

Drake yelled loudly, "woo! Homerun bitch!"

"He is enjoying this way too much…"

Issac laughed, "he's probably imagining it's Keith's face he's hitting."

Issac was by the back door of the bus, stopping anything coming within a few meters of the bus with the heavy end of his charger cord. It wasn't a sufficient amount of force to kill the beings, but it sure was enough to knock them to the ground and allow for someone else to land a final lethal blow. Which either Drake or Alice gladly took the chance of doing.

There was now enough space for Lane and Alex to run from the minibus, barging their way through the few beings and towards the small petrol station shop that stood broken and alone. They were both quick and agile despite their body differences, while the other members of the group gained all of the attention of the undead creatures, they slipped into the shop. Pleased when they found it almost empty of beings.

Keith crept out from the front seat, with Seth and Jack being the last two to leave the minibus through the side door. The two tall men standing as the last line of defence for Keith as he fumbled with the petrol cap, shoving the key into its hole and twisting, before growling at himself for having turned it the wrong way.

"Hand me the unleaded nozzle!" Keith yelled.

Jack ran over and grabbed the green nozzle, almost throwing it to Keith before turning around and kicking a being in the chest that was closing in on them. Seth ran over to Skylar and grabbed her waist, pulling their bodies close together. She yelped, "Seth! What the hell?"

He grinned and ran a hand down her leg, quickly pulling out one of the knives from her boots. Her face grew red as Seth pecked her cheek, "don't worry mi amor, you'll get it back."

"Fuck you!"

The blonde winked and ran back to the minibus, plunging the knife into the back of a large framed being, allowing Jack to push it to the ground as he stabbed the back of its head.

Keith rattled the nozzle getting annoyed when there was still no fuel coming out, "what are they doing in there? We need to get out of here!"

Inside the shop was dark, the windows shattered and a corpse hanging still.

Lane and Alex were fighting through those last few creatures who hadn't made it out before the apocalypse hit. They had shut the door behind them, preventing themselves from getting attacked from behind.

"Where is the control things for the pumps?"

Alex stomped on the head of a being, almost choking in disgust when the skull split in half under the force of her boot, her foot sinking into the gunge that probably was a brain at one point. She ran over to Lane, pointing to over the counter, "should be a small panel over there!"

"How do you know these things?"

"I get around a lot." Alex smirked, "worked a lot of jobs, here, there and everywhere."

Lane reached the counter, frustrated when she came face to face with the thick glass.

"Shit!" Alex thumped her fists against the blood-stained glass, "fuck, balls, shit."

"Keith is rubbing off on you."

"I wouldn't rub up against that dork even if he was the last fuckable guy in this apocalyptic world."

Lane raised an eyebrow before striding over to the shelves and searching for something reasonably heavy, "why not?"

"He's not a fuckable guy for one."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Okay..." Lane found a small set of weights, she picked them up questioning to herself why English petrol stations sold such strange items. A smile grew on her lips, "I don't really get why he's not though."

Alex laughed as she swung her cake slice at the head of a downed being, still grossed out by the sound of the bone splintering, "sweetie if you don't get why he's unfuckable I have to educate you more."

"Maybe later…" Lane turned back to the counter, "okay, mind the glass."

"Huh? What glass?"

Without warning, Lane launched the small weight across the room, it collided with the counter window, shattering it into millions of shards.

"Ah, that glass."

Within seconds they were both at the counter, Lane jumping over it quite gracefully. She brushed the glass away with a random piece of paper, "what pump are they at?"

Alex bounced over to the window, "two! Better hurry, Keith looks like he's ready to explode and the beings are growing in numbers..."

Lane pressed the correct button and jumped back from the counter, "let's go!"

The girls ran back through the shop, bursting out into the station. Beings turned to them, immediately sensing their blood, their flesh… Alex rammed her shoulder into a being, stumbling but managing to stay on her feet as Lane grasped her arm. They both knew there was no time to fight, they didn't have a choice with every single being coming towards them, there had to be more than twenty swaying in the darkness, only lit from the few flashing lights from the station.

"Come on!" Jack yelled at them, "Keith's almost finished, head back to the bus!"

The faces of the undead stared at the girls, faces frozen with the last memories of fear before they were killed. It was horrible to look at, so many people were already dead right in front of them, they were only lucky it wasn't them.

That's all surviving an apocalypse was… Luck.

Keith was screwing the cap back onto the minibus, he rushed over to Beauregard and pushed the keys into his chest, "we're full."

"Everyone back inside! Don't turn your back on the creatures!"

It was a race back to the minibus. Alex and Lane ran as fast as they could, not daring to touch any of the bodies that inched closer and closer. Fingers reached for their exhausted bodies, narrowly missing the chance at the warm flesh that escaped. Lane was in front, using the sabre to push through, forcing the undead out of their way. Their lungs heaved, adrenalin pulsated through their bodies, slowly but surely, they were being surrounded.

Lane managed to clear a path and power forward, the minibus finally in sight. She was sure they would make it; this world was just beginning and there was no way she was going to give in to death now.

But there was a loud scream that rattled through the air.

Blonde hair bounced off Lane's cheeks as she spun sharply. Her skin paled and that feeling of nausea grew in her stomach. Alex had tripped, rolling across the offal ridden gravel. Almost immediately a being was on top of the small woman, it's flimsy jaw too close to her neck for comfort. There wasn't time for Alex to grab her cake slice, both of her hands were pushed against the face of the being, trying to protect her vital organs. Slowly the numbers were growing, finally sensing a meal in Alex that could be devoured in seconds.

"Alex!"

"Lane! Go! Get back to the minibus!" Alex pushed the head away from her jugular.

Lane frowned and pushed away the sickly feeling in her stomach. Her body then moved on its own, running back for the small woman, "are you insane; we're leaving together!"

With a swift lunge, Lane shoved the end of the sabre into the head of the attacking being. Though the sabre bent from the impact, Lane put enough force behind her action to force the blade through the top of the skull.

The body fell limp on Alex, a foul-smelling liquid soaking the brown uniform she wore. Alex pushed the unmoving corpse off, "ew..."

Lane helped Alex to her feet, the two girls standing hand in hand.

There was a small smile on Alex's lips, "you got some strength in that body of yours, don't you? And thanks…"

Lane nodded, there was just no way she could leave someone behind… no one deserved to die in such a way, not if she could stop it.

Suddenly their eyes caught something in the distance… from a quick glance, it could have been mistaken for a thick cloud of fog slowly making its approach to the petrol station. But the way it swayed… was wrong.

"Holy shit…" Alex whispered.

Lane felt the fear crawl up her throat, "how are there so many already? It's barely been a day…"

The scent of freshly killed flesh grew as the large mass grew closer, the numerous bodies that growled sounded like thunder and their only choice was to run.

"That's a fucking horde!" Jack shouted banging his hand on the minibus, "we have to go now! Lane! Alex! Run!"

Together they sprinted back to the minibus, jumping into the open side door and immediately collapsing into the closest seats, out of breath. The others were quick to follow, Seth and Skylar being the last two inside and slamming the door shut behind them. Fists pounded against the back of the minibus, the windows once again threatening to shatter under the sheer force.

Beauregard ran around the front of the vehicle, getting back into the driver's seat. He noticed the passenger side still open, "Keith what are you doing? Get in now!"

The horde only shuffled forwards, it's victims now glowing under the lights of the flickering station.

"One second!" Keith still had a hold of the petrol nozzle, he turned, spraying petrol across the ground. He then threw the nozzle as far away as he could and jumped into the passenger seat, "drive."

Beauregard wheel spun slightly as he pulled away. He looked over to Keith and watched as he rummaged through his rucksack, "what are you doing?"

A devilish smirk grew on Keith's lips as he pulled out a blue flip lighter. He rolled down the window and opened the lighter, "bombs away."

"Holy shit!" Drake roared, "everyone cover your ears now!"

Keith hung out the window and threw the lighter back into the petrol station, Beauregard grabbing the small man's shirt to pull him back into his seat, before pressing down harshly on the accelerator to get them as far away as he could with only seconds to spare. Everyone covered their ears, as a trail of fire flew back to the station.

The explosion was strong enough to rattle the ground.

The occupants of the minibus screamed as they fell from their seats, with the minibus itself struggling to stay on the road.

Toxic smoke filled the sky.

Flames from the petrol station raged as the fire rapidly spread, groaning bodies loomed in the distance, skin charred and bones creaking. The flaming undead followed the path the minibus took, unknowingly to the group that they soon fell to the ground… scorched and unmoving...

Currently, the minibus was silent. No one dared to say a single word.

They had blown up a petrol station.

Well, correction: Keith had blown up a petrol station.

"You're insane," Lane whispered, earning only a lazy shrug from Keith as a response.

Jack scratched his chin, "if you think about it, he actually did the best thing…"

Almost everyone gave him a look of disbelief.

"Look at it this way, we're not being followed anymore, and a horde is gone."

It was true, for once they were alone, only an empty road ahead of them. But it didn't sit right with them; who in their right mind would think about doing such a thing that could have killed them? But for now, no one wanted to talk… No one wanted to question the act… It was all becoming way too much.

And so, the remainder of the journey was silent.

It took way longer than Beauregard expected for them to get where they needed to be. Keith had kept them safe on the backroads, away from all the mayhem of the rest of the country. It was almost peaceful; unlike everything they had experienced so far.

One by one the occupants started to drift into sleep, fatigue completely taking over. Even Beauregard was almost falling asleep at the wheel, his eyes hurting with the amount of time they had been locked open. At one point, Keith offered to drive for the exhausted guard, yet Beauregard refused. Instead, the younger man was stuck giving directions, albeit not very good ones.

"Right on the next exit," Keith pointed to a small dirt road surrounded by forests.

There was a low chuckle from Drake as he quickly read the large blue sign they passed, "you live near a place called Dorking."

"Yeah, so funny." Keith deadpanned, resting his head against the window. "Follow this road."

Something about the area was ominous. It was dark and the light from the minibus barely cut through the thick night.

"Right turn now."

They reached another long road. Which really felt like it was never-ending…

"Okay, just coming up there's a tight left turn."

The turn was indeed a sharp one, leading uphill on a shingle road. Beauregard followed the new trail, slowing down to make sure he didn't hit the tight walls either side of the minibus.

"That's the start of my driveway." Keith pointed to a small entrance between a thick pair of hedges. Somehow Beauregard managed to fit the minibus through the gap, driving up slowly. In the distance, there was a tall metal gate, a keypad attached to the brick wall on the side. Keith opened the window and hung his body out to reach the keypad, it took him a few seconds to punch in a number and climb back into his seat. "Just abandon the van near the cars."

Beauregard found himself gazing up in awe at the house Keith had brought them too. The gates shut automatically behind the minibus and he noticed that two cars were parked neatly next to one another on the left, one being a blue Honda and another hidden by a waterproof cover.

He parked the minibus and turned off the engine, before sparing a look to Keith, "you live here?"

"Yeah. My dad is good at his job."

"What part of the army is he in?"

"He's a Lieutenant Colonel, medical surgeon."

At that point Beauregard understood why Keith was so reluctant to call his father if the man was a surgeon for the army – especially one of that rank – he was going to be called out on every emergency, especially one of this size. Despite Keith's father being three ranks below his own father, it was the highest rank a surgeon could get, and they were often paid very handsomely for their service.

It was no wonder how his single father could afford such a place.

"Is every one asleep?" Keith asked, turning around.

The only other person awake was Drake, who – when making eye contact with Keith – stuck his middle finger up. Keith, in turn, gave him the same rude action.

"Yeah, we have to get them inside, how secure is your home?"

"Passcode-controlled gate on the front and back and eight-foot brick walls covered in brambles surround the entire house." Keith yawned, "the only ones to have a key is me and dad... Dad kind of had a thing about keeping us safe when he was on deployment."

"That's a big house for only two people," Drake stood, walking to the front of the minivan and sticking his head in between the two front seats.

"You're lucky it's big, if I lived in a bungalow there would be no way ten of us could fit. Plus, it would mean having to be in close proximity to you." Keith opened the door and swung his legs out, "I'll go get the front door."

Beauregard leant back; he was absolutely shattered. Maybe he should have let Keith drive back when he asked? But he couldn't trust him… there was just something about him that wasn't quite right. But his mind was too overwhelmed to actually determine what it was; there was nothing Beauregard wanted more than to lay somewhere warm and sleep all his worries away.

Keith walked around to the side and opened the large sliding doors. He came face to face with Drake, where neither broke eye contact.

"Please don't start arguing now…"

Finally, both the young men did the same thing: they backed off from one another. Neither wanting to start anything… for the moment at least. Keith stepped into the bus and sauntered around Drake; he collected his belongings from the back seats and gave Lane and Jack a quick nudge, bringing them out of the world of sleep.

"Have we arrived?" Jack asked as he sleepily gawked at the house.

"Yeah," Drake answered.

Lane stretched, mumbling at the ache in her back. She looked over to the seats opposite, where Seth was asleep next to Issac, the blonde's head almost gently resting on the younger's shoulder while he leant against the window. It was a surprisingly cute position… Lane reached over the seat and poked Seth's tanned cheeks, trying to wake the drooling male up.

"Please tell me there's a comfier place to sleep." Jack groaned standing tall and knocking his head on the roof. He stumbled from his seat, picking up his bag, Alice was fast asleep with her back against the window and head on her knees. A small smiled grew on his lips, "Hey, Alice."

She swatted his hand away, her eyes still shut tight.

Skylar and Alexandria were curled up on the seats they shared, both girls leaning on each other in one way or another.

Beauregard had got out of his seat, stretching his legs and walking around to the open side door. He gave the two sleeping girls a smile. He originally thought that Skylar didn't have much of a family, seeing as she refused to even try and call her 'murderous' brother, but now she at least had Alexandria, someone she cared about was alive.

The guard couldn't say the same thing

By now Keith had wandered over to his home, he thumbed through his rucksack, pulling out a set of keys. He shakily unlocked the door and dumped his bags in the hallway. The house was cold and dark, the heating having been turned off since early the previous morning. His dad would have been home if he hadn't been called into the mess that was the world, he knew there was a chance he would never see him again.

He didn't exactly know what to feel at that moment.

"I'm home…"

* * *

**So this is late... aha yeah...**

**I wanna thank the people that messaged me over the last month, I know I told a few of you why the update was late and I'm thankful for all the support I got. It really made me happy, so Lazarsword88, Elements08, Responsiboy, PrimalFreak and** **Fleet Corner Trimmer 2415 L.S. I just really wanna thank you all from the bottom of my heart, I really don't know what I'd do without you guys.**

**As for the next update I'm gonna aim for a short chapter to be updater within the next month or two... but my primary focus until March 30th is assignments for university.**

**I will never abandon this story, my punctuality however you will have to excuse.**

**Thanks again.**


	11. The End - April Fools (lol)

**Chapter ...**

* * *

Upon settling down in Keith's home, almost everyone passed out for the night. A few, however, wandered around gobsmacked by the size of the home itself, though those being nosy had to avoid Keith was also still up and keeping an eye on them. Lane and Alex strolled upstairs and found Keith sat on the beanbag in front of the nearest window with what seemed like a cigarette pressed between his lips.

"You smoke?" Lane asked with disgust, waving a hand in front of her to try and obscure the smell.

"Go find one musician that hasn't tried a cigarette at least once in their life."

Lane frowned; she couldn't understand why a fellow athlete was destroying their body in such a way. Alex noticed the tension growing between them, despite wanting to take the cigarette from the man and take a long drag, she held back her urges.

Keith stood, flicking the ash out of the open window, "it's just stress relief, besides, they weren't mine."

As if on cue there was a loud knock at the door. However, no one dared to move.

Another knock, followed by a low yet strong voice, "Hey, is someone in there we need some help! I'm not stupid I can see the lights!"

Alice slapped the guard's face waking him up, "Beauregard?"

"What?"

"People. At the door."

"Oh." It was moments like this he hated being the one in charge. He slowly got to his feet, muscles protesting with each movement. His steps were heavy, sleep threatening to take over once more. He reached the door, hand grasping the handle of his rifle while he opened the door a few inches.

"Oh, thank god!"

"Huh?" Beauregard was surprised as he came face to face with a well-built man in a fireman's uniform, who was holding another person in their arms.

"I'm so glad you answered," The fireman's voice was breathy and sweat ran down his head. "I need some help."

Beauregard dropped his weapon as he homed in on the small mess of black and white fabric in the man's arms, "Marie?"

The girl unwrapped herself as she was gently placed on the floor, her swollen ankle protesting, "Beauregard."

There was a moment of happiness as two siblings were reunited. Hugs were shared and there were only smiles between everyone who watched.

But as always, the light-hearted moment was quickly interrupted by Drake, "you're letting out all the warmth, just let them in already!"

Alex and Lane were stood on the stairs, watching the exchange. Both finding a sense of relief. The barista then gave Lane a nudge as the firefighter stepped in, "that is one beautiful man."

"Huh? Wait? You're not?"

"Not what?"

Lane felt a heat rise in her cheeks, "never mind."

"Come on," Alex laughed, pulling Lane into the lounge.

The firefighter stepped in with a large smile, shutting the door behind him, "so I'm Dent, nice to meet you."

Everyone shared a small nod of acknowledgement. All were too tired to really question if the new people were safe to be around.

"Come on guys it's late, let's sleep."

Once again, they all bundled into the rather spacious lounge, finding a space to curl up and conserve their body heat.

Issac coughed loudly, "Keith, take that thing out of here!"

The emo, still somehow with a lit cigarette gave an innocent look, "I'm not doing anything wrong."

"It's disgusting!"

"Whatever!" Keith left the room, his middle finger flipping everyone off.

"The asshole has left the building," Drake grinned, "what does that idiot think he's doing?"

"Guys, shh…" Seth waved a hand around, "sleep now, talk when the sun is up."

Alice murmured some sort of agreement as she buried her face unconsciously into Skylar's curvy and extremely comfy chest.

BOOM!

"What the fuck!"

Everyone was immediately on their feet.

Issac took a deep breath, "do you smell smoke?"

Dent was the first to react, his instincts taking over, "that's a fire! Everyone out now!"

It was a race to the door.

Dent scooped Marie into his arms and ran for the entrance, slamming his shoulder into the door and forcing it open.

Beauregard was close on his heels, dragging Skylar and Alice along with him.

The fire spread faster than it should have, setting alight to everything in its path. Smoke now filled the entire downstairs, flames roaring from the far end of the corridor. It was deadly, they only had minutes to save themselves. Lane and Alex stumbled hand in hand, unable to make it out the lounge as one of the bookshelves fell in front of the doorway. Alex slipped, pulled backwards by a strong tug from Lane. The girls coughed, "shit!"

"Now what?" Seth covered his mouth with both hands.

Issac racked his mind eyes darting for all possible choices in the room, "the window!"

Drake was immediately over the sofa, knocking over the photo frames that sat on the sill. He yanked on the window, screaming when the latch refused to budge. On the other side of the glass, he could see the others, standing on the grass of the garden.

"Fuck!"

Seth collapsed to the floor, coughing loudly as his choked on the smoke.

"Seth!" Both Lane and Alex were at his side

Almost as quick as he had fallen did the coughing stop, and his body ceased to move.

"Oh my god!"

"Seth!"

Drake screamed at the top of his voice, "Jack! Throw me the bat now!"

Within seconds Drake had the chipped baseball bat in his hands and was swinging at the window. He was expecting the glass to shatter with a single hit, so when it didn't, Drake began to panic. He swung again and again, praying that he could break the glass open. Beauregard and Dent were on the other side, hitting the glass themselves with anything they could find.

"Hurry up!" Lane cried out as the smoke hit her lungs.

Issac ran over to the girls and pushed Seth from his side to his back, he was in a panic; his childhood friend was already so weak… His body was unable to handle the lack of oxygen now in the air. Issac felt the tears streaming down his face as everything burned, he couldn't leave Seth; Seth had come back for him and so he would make sure he got out of there.

There was a loud crash as the window finally shattered.

"Alex, Lane!" Jack grabbed them each by the forearm, shoving them to the window.

"But Seth?" Lane fought against the man, scratching at his hand.

Jack struggled against her strength, but he remained calm and smiled down to her, "we'll be right behind you with Seth, now go."

"Lane," Alex coughed, "come on…"

When they reached the window, Drake was pushed the glass out of the way, his bare hands getting sliced by the shards.

Lane went out first, falling heavily into Dent's arms, and Alex was seconds behind her colliding into Beauregard.

"You guys hurry up!" Drake hissed.

Jack ran back to Seth and Issac, "Issac come on!"

Together they hooked Seth up and managed to slowly trudge across the room.

"Is that everyone?" Drake asked.

Issac nodded as they lifted Seth through the window, "everyone else got out through the front door!"

Jack when through first, taking Seth's shoulders through the small opening and sitting with him gently on the ground. Issac was next, knees hitting the grass below with a crack as the lack of breath was finally getting to him, he coughed violently almost throwing up from the movements. He shook as he gagged, unable to breathe and barely surviving.

Drake winced as the glass slipped and sank deeper into his hands. He started to force his body through the window…

But stopped.

And looked to everyone in the garden.

Beauregard, Lane, Issac, Seth, Alice, Skylar, Alex, Jack, and the two newbies Dent and Marie…

"Fuck!" He turned back to the house, flames now raging from all directions. He couldn't stop himself, he had to go back in.

"Drake?" Beauregard shouted, "get out!"

But Drake ran back into the house, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Shorty! Where are you?"

Beauregard froze as Drake disappeared.

"Shit!" Dent pulled Issac away from the window, there was a loud crack as what sounded like a ceiling collapsed in on itself. The house was glowing burnt orange, smoke filling the sky. "That building is not structurally safe anymore."

"Where's Drake?" Jack asked.

Beauregard swallowed the lump in his throat, "he ran back in…"

"What!"

"We forgot about Keith. He went to find him."

"Oh god."

"We need to move!" Dent shouted.

"We can't just leave them!"

Dent, at that moment, put his foot down, "that house is going to come down any second now! Anyone inside is going to die or is dead already, I'm sorry but those two are not going to make it out of there alive!"

Everyone was silent.

"Seth!" Skylar skidded across the grass, placing her head against his mouth and checking for his breath. Yet, there was nothing. Skylar screamed her eyes shining with tears, "he's not breathing! Oh my god, he's not breathing!"

Lane rushed to them, "Seth! Wake up!"

"CPR, now!" Dent yelled as he ran over to a still coughing Issac.

Issac was in Jack's arms, his face now a sickly white with a slight blue tinge. Jack didn't know what to do as Issac violent coughed in his embrace. The smaller's body then started to convulse, limbs flailing at his sides. Jack gasped for breath himself, "he's having a seizure!"

Dent was there, helping Issac into the correct position, "he's not getting enough oxygen to the brain, shit…"

"You can help him, right?" Jack asked.

"Without oxygen, he's going to die!" Dent gritted his teeth, "Seth too, I can't do anything!"

Alice shouted across the garden, "what use are you then?"

"I'm a fucking firefighter, not a miracle-worker!"

Groans were slowly filling the air.

"Guys…" Marie whispered.

"What?"

"I'm sorry…"

"Marie?"

"I am so sorry!"

Beauregard was by his sister, "what's wrong? The fire isn't your fault, shit happens. We just have to save who we can and move on."

"No…" Marie shook, fear pulsating through her body, "we broke the gate when we arrived…"

Alex screamed as two beings crushed her to the ground, their fingers sinking deep into her stomach and ripping out her intestines. Blood bubbled into her throat, the red fluid spewing from her mouth like a volcano.

"Oh my god…" Alice whispered, slowing backing away.

Skylar rebounded up from her place besides Seth, leaving Lane to the CPR. Lane screeched as she raced forward, "Alex!"

"Skylar! No!"

The small girl collided with the bodies, pushing them from her cousin's body. Alex couldn't even speak as Skylar held her close, her body was gasping for breath, yet only found blood. There was a fear stuck in her eyes, one that would never end. Skylar pulled the blue-haired girl close, "Alex… no… Please."

"Skylar behind you!"

But Skylar didn't care, Seth was gone, and now the only relative she cared about was dead. She only held Alex close as the monsters surrounded her, pulling the flesh from her bones.

No one could move, they were surrounded with no way out. Their weapons lost in the flames and half of their group already dead.

Jack bit back tears as he placed a now still Issac gently on the grass, there was nothing he could do. He was already gone. His chest was heavy, a tightness stuck within his lungs. He knew his life was also in danger. Dent helped Jack to his feet, pulling him away from the young Scotsman's body.

Lane slammed her fists onto Seth's chest, physically exhausted. Her throat burned and her head hurt, she couldn't believe it had come down to this. She looked up, her stomach threatening to burst as her eyes locked on the mess that was now Skylar and Alex. They were both dead, gone from the world.

Alice ran from the group, determining that the only way to escape was by launching herself from one of the parked cars and over the wall.

"Alice stop, there's too many of them!"

But the warning was too late, the cars were surrounded as soon as the small girl jumped onto the boot, one of the beings grabbed her ankle and she slipped, shoulder shattering the back window on impact. Beauregard and Dent ran to her aid but couldn't get close as the monsters climbed over her, first biting into her legs before ripping the limbs from her torso. She screeched into the night, voice cracking as she also came to an end.

"I'm so sorry!" Marie wailed, falling to her knees. "This is our fault!"

Beauregard punched a being that came close to him, forced back to back with Dent, who was kicking a body away. The two were strong. However, strength cannot overwhelm the sheer amount of undead.

"Beauregard!"

"Jack!" The guard shouted, "get Marie and Lane out of here!"

A being sank its deformed teeth into Beauregard's arm in his momentary distraction.

"No!"

Dent threw a punch at the being who was embedded in Beauregard's arm, only to gain his own wound to the back of his shoulder. There was no end to the beings, one by one they stepped forward… overpowering the two strongest men. Marie continued to scream, the burning building and the monsters surrounding her brother becoming way too much. Lane crawled her way over, wrapping her arms around the nun. It was the only thing she could think of to calm the woman down.

There was one final shout: "go!"

Jack rushed to his feet and urged the girls to their feet, "come on!"

The three ran, down the small patio by the side of the burning building. Overgrown brambles scraped at their skin as they found themselves in the back garden.

Lane pointed to the small gate at the far end, "over there."

While Jack and Lane sprinted forth, Marie held back. Her eyes stuck on the ground, "I can't."

Lane grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her lightly, "we have to go."

"My ankle… I'm sorry."

Lane couldn't react fast enough, the foul-smelling hands of a body reached through the darkness and pulled Marie away. The two watched in horror as the nun barely screamed as the corpses chewed on her flesh, their jaws locked on her throat.

"Lane!"

The girl turned and ran, both she and Jack reached the back gate, slamming into the bars. Yet, they wouldn't budge. Instead, they came face to face with more of the undead. There was absolutely no way of them getting out now. The dead were everywhere, slowly walking towards them, arms reaching through the gate for them.

"Maybe if I throw you over the wall?" Jack asked.

"It's too high, plus, I'm sure we've made too much noise, so we don't know what is on the other side."

"Yeah…" Jack fell to his knees and Lane took a seat next to him. The bodies got closer and closer, imminent death approaching with every second. Jack and Lane spent their final moments with their eyes closed as the beings blocked out the light from the flaming house.

In under half an hour all twelve of the group were lost, killed by either flames or the dead.

Because in this new world, it's easy for everyone to die.

Just as easy as this.

* * *

**THE END**


	12. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

"It is under the agreement of the British Government that no one is to go outside. Do not open the door to anyone. If any of your friends or family show symptoms related to high fever, coughing blood, intense muscle pain and fatigue, seizures, pale or grey skin, please remove yourself from their company immediately, for your safety. All police forces are currently doing their best to control the situation, please stay patient."

Dent turned up the radio.

"The cities we have lost contact with include London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol and Leicester; we will keep you updated as we receive more data." There was a low buzz from the radio and the fireman pounded his fist against it once to force it to regain signal, "communication with the royal family has also been lost as the gates of Buckingham Palace were run down earlier this evening."

Marie was quiet, her fists clenched tight around the rosary on her neck, her brother would be there. Right in the thick of it. Beauregard was strong… but even she didn't know if he could survive such a catastrophe… The only thing she could do was pray.

"We ask that anyone heading towards London to avoid the city at all costs, authorities have closed as many entrance roads as possible to contain the spread of the disease."

Dent sighed, "well that's our plan out the window."

The fireman took the opportunity to pull his fire engine onto the hard shoulder. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and turned to the quiet sister. After unplugging his seatbelt, he spoke softly, "let me have a look at your ankle, sister."

With a small nod, Marie raised her feet onto the seat, untying the laces of her boot. Dent tenderly took the small foot in his hand, her skin fiery against his cold touch. With his thumb he traced the skin of her ankle, watching her face closely for any signs of pain.

"Ah!" Marie gritted her teeth as his fingers traced a sensitive area.

"You did a number on your foot, it's very swollen." He grinned, "I think it's a sprain, but you may have broken something, you'll have to keep the weight off it for a while."

"You know first aid?"

"I'm a fireman, we're all trained in immediate medical attention techniques." Dent reached up to the shelf above his seat and pulled out a small green first aid box, he rummaged through the messy contents until he found a roll of bandages and a packet of painkillers. He handed Mari the tablets and a silver can of Monster from his door, "sorry this is all I have to drink at the moment, my bag is somewhere in the back."

"It's okay," Marie knocked back the tablets with a mouthful of the energy drink, blue eyes growing wide at the instant hit of caffeine. She coughed, "Woah."

Dent couldn't stop himself laughing as he tightly wrapped the compression bandage around Marie's ankle.

"So… Dent?"

"Yeah."

"Where's the rest of your team? Surely you can't be the only fireman to man this vehicle."

Somehow, the smile never left the man's cheeks were a set of dimples sat either side of his lips, "we got a call from the police asking for any type of back up we could provide. But we were attacked before we had the chance to leave, I was the only one to make it out of the station. The station manager told me to leave and help whoever I could, I was only driving around for about ten minutes when I saw St Margaret's on fire, but I came across you before I could get any closer."

"Thank you."

"If I can save just one person, I have done my job well." Dent finished his first aid and patted the dashboard, "put your foot up there, keep it elevated."

They were silent for a while, both working out what to say to one another.

"So, do you know if there's another place we can go?" Dent asked.

Marie shook her head, "all my family are back in Dover. The only brother I had a chance of meeting is in London. What about you?"

"Two sisters." There was a sigh, "but they're both holidaying in America with their other halves."

"Oh…"

Dent waved it off, "I'll contact them later, we have to get somewhere safe first, we can't spend the night on the road." He looked out the window towards the large blue sign, "so we can either head north past Dartford or south-west on the M25 around London."

Marie didn't know if the choice she was about to make was going to be the best for them both, "I want to stay around London for a while, I need to see if I can get in touch with Beauregard before we leave."

"Fair enough." Dent started the engine and pulled back onto the motorway. He then spoke, "I have an ex-girlfriend in Guildford, I still have her house key, maybe we should head there?"

"Guildford?" Mari raised an eyebrow, "ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah, it's only about an hour from London so we can find out about Beauregard and stay quite close."

Marie nodded, "seems like a good option then."

Dent nodded in agreement before bursting out into laughter, "let's just pray she's not there."

"Why?"

A sheepish grin grew on his lips, "she broke up with me because she found out my full name, she then processed to accuse me of cheating on her because I spent too long working; I was station in London at the time."

Marie spluttered a laugh, "your full name?"

"Yeah, did you think my name was Dent?"

"I mean, I don't know what your parents were thinking when they named you.

The two laughed again, a warmth growing.

* * *

It was a restless night sleep for most of the group, the memories of the day before assaulting their dreams, making them relive every single monstrous experience.

Issac sharply sat up, a dirty layer of sweat shining on his tanned skin. He looked around; the others were still asleep, enclosed within their warmth. He felt sick; there were no words to describe anything they had been through. He rolled from the sofa, lightly placing his feet on the carpeted floor. The sudden urge to pee hit his bladder like a train and Issac jumped up, tiptoeing from the room as quietly as he could. To reach the door he had to step over a sprawled-out Jack on the floor. There was a rumble as someone snored loudly and Issac froze struggling to maintain his balance; he did not want to wake anyone up.

Certain people would probably shoot him if he woke them up.

He whipped around; eyes wide as he checked to see if anyone had woken.

Thankfully, everyone still either snored, drooled or hugged a cushion to death.

"Phew..." A pang shot through his bladder, "crap... bathroom."

He bounced from the room and into the dust-free hallway, the sun shining through the door's window, creating colourful patterns on the floor. After getting distracted by the prettiness, it took him a moment to realised he had no idea where the bathroom was.

"Fuck."

It became a panic. There were too many doors to count on the ground floor alone, the was a chance he wouldn't make it to the bathroom in time. Why did the freaking guy have to live in such a big home?

The doorway right if the stairs led to a large dining room – he had gotten a sneak-peek when they first arrived - while the one left of the square hallway was the lounge. But there was more, one he assumed was a kitchen and another three that were completely unknown.

It was insane.

"Fuck!"

It took trying three of the unknown doors to find the bathroom, after entering what seemed like a miniature library that was part of an office first, and a room that was dedicated to gaming consoles and a large TV second.

There was a struggle for the young Scottish man to not slam the bathroom door, he was busting to pee, bladder struggling.

"Woah." Issac lost his train of thought once again as the bathroom sparkled before his eyes, "you could eat food off this floor..."

But all thoughts could wait as he saw the toilet, taking a piss was the most important thing. After what felt like the greatest piss if his life, he turned to get a look in the mirror above the sink. Saying he looked like shit was an understatement, dirt was caked across his skin with dried sweat, his curly knots of hair still tinged red from the pools of blood he had fallen in. There was also a stench stuck to him, one that felt like it would never leave no matter how much he scrubbed.

He couldn't imagine what everyone else looked like. They were all in need of a shower.

Issac wondered if he could pop into the shower, it was so very tempting. But there was this nagging at the back of his mind that Keith would yell at him. He let out a loud sigh and rested against the sink.

A growl resonated from his stomach; boy was he hungry.

He could easily find the kitchen. Keith wouldn't mind if he munched on something... right?

He left the bathroom and wandered for one of the doors he was yet to try. However, one was slightly open, which he had not noticed during his desperate urination episode. Light seeped from the room, always with a low voice that was singing gently.

It was a voice that even with a Spanish accent he knew anywhere.

"¡A ella le gusta la gasolina, dame más gasolina, como le encanta la gasolina!"

Issac pushed open the door and poked his head into the kitchen. He immediately saw Seth by the kettle, a soft smile sat on his lips and his hips rolling in circles with the song. Isaac had known Seth for way too long and the years had flown by, but that did not stop the weirdness he got when he looked at Seth. Seth was incredibly open about himself, something Issac never had a problem with, but it made it so much harder to think about what was going on with himself.

Not that currently, his sexuality was the biggest problem in the world. Because… zombies were eating every living person he cared for. He could wait a few days.

"Seth… What are you doing?"

The singing suddenly stopped, the Scottish accent returned, "ah, Issac! Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I had to pee."

"Okay. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really..."

"Yeah, someone snores like a bulldozer."

"That's you…"

"Lies!"

They shared a laugh; it lifted the heaviness in the air.

"Have you been awake long?"

Seth nodded, "I have to wake up by nine at the latest every morning to make sure I have my morning insulin and I couldn't sleep anyway. I was also going to raid the cupboards for some breakfast… I'm hungry, mi pequeño mierda be damned."

"I'll join you for eating food if it'll piss Keith off."

There was a grin from Seth, he held out the KwikPen to Issac, "so dear amigo, do want to stab me?"

Issac clasp a hand over his chest and gasped, "Seth… we've known each other for so long. I never thought you would ask me something like this."

"Ah, Issac. I'm so used to you being mean to me that this affection may just fulfil my heart."

"Screw you, you masochist."

The blonde was grinning as he received a hearty slap from the smaller male. Despite the violence, Issac took the pen gently. It was lighter than he thought it would be. Seth pulled off his pink shirt and placed it on the side, Issac locked in on the large tattoo dragon silhouette that covered his entire left side. It was a masterpiece against the tanned skin.

But then his eyes went higher and onto a silver metal piercing.

"When the fuck did you get that?"

"Hm?"

Issac pointed to Seth's nipple, "that."

"Oh, why you wanna know?" Seth wiggled his eyebrows.

"Just curious. Also, I'm sure you didn't have it last year."

The grin disappeared and it was replaced with a sad sigh, "you remember Luca?"

"Dude you started dating in college?"

"Yep, I've always wanted one and he persuaded me."

Issac remembered Seth's ex-boyfriend, he was a sweet guy. But one day he just disappeared off the face of the earth, around the same year that he started at the same university as Seth. The brunette shuffled over to the counter and pulled out one of the stools to sit on, "what happened to him?"

"The normal. After four years with him, I mess up big time."

And that was where the conversation ended.

"So… Are you gonna stab me or what?"

"Ah, yeah." The younger man quirked an eyebrow as he no realised why Seth was topless, "I thought it goes into your thigh."

There was a shake of the head, "I have to rotate, plus I think I was a little vicious with the injection last night, I'm a little bruised and tender."

"Oh, you poor, poor man child."

"Cállate," Seth then pointed to his abdomen, a couple of inches to the left of his belly button, "push the needle end in and press the button. There should be three clicks then you can pull it out, or you can just wait ten seconds."

Issac did take a little bit of pleasure stabbing the older man. Though Seth did not react to the needle entering his skin, after all, it was a daily occurrence for him. Deep down, it still bugged Issac that Seth had never told him that he had such a life-threatening issue. A minute later Seth was packing away the pen and Issac was preparing a warm drink for them both.

After pulling his shirt back on Seth sat on the stool next to Issac, sipping the cup of tea.

Issac sighed, "have you seen how big this house is?"

"No?"

"There's this massive bathroom just on the left outside of here, and like this office with a library and a freaking gaming room."

"Keith's a little rich kid isn't he..."

"And he's letting us stay here out of the goodness of his very tiny asshole heart, so just play nice for now." Jack stood in the kitchen doorway stretching up to the frame as he yawned. "Morning. You guys alright?"

"Yeah, still tired." Issac stared into his warm drink, waiting for the caffeine to hit. Jack walked into the kitchen and started snooping around the cupboards, he was not impressed with the lack of food he found. They needed some serious restocking if everyone was going to a decent meal.

"Mew!"

"Eh?" Issac stared between them, "Seth did you just meow at me?"

"No?"

Jack then gasped as a small, white cat with stumpy legs wrapped itself around his ankles, "he... has... a cat..."

With stars in his eyes Jack immediately bent down and scooped the small feline into his arms, he hugged it tightly. The cat made no effort to protest and instead started to purr loudly.

"Nico!" A call from the hallway yelled, "Nico, where are you?"

Jack turned and came face to face with Keith, Jack couldn't contain his joy when he saw a large long-haired cat sat over both of Keith's shoulders. The taller male was immediately in front of Keith, stroking the cat and grinning as it purred.

Keith leant back, "uh, why do you have my cat?"

Jack held the white cat closer, "he's mine now."

"Don't strangle him."

Keith wandered into the kitchen and stared at Issac and Seth, "you both stink."

"Well," Seth picked up his shirt and waved it about, "we don't have a change of clothes, unfortunately."

Keith frowned, before grabbing a mug from the cupboard and spooning a good few tablespoons of coffee granules into it before adding the warm water. He took a large gulp then spoke, "you could have taken a shower, I wouldn't have minded."

"Eh?" Well, that was a surprise.

"Though... I don't think any of my clothes will fit you. You'll have to wait until we go get supplies."

"Nothing like spending a few days in gross clothing to ease our nerves." Jack smiled.

"Guys it's like eight in the morning..." Lane slumped against the door frame, "how are you all awake when we only went to sleep a few hours ago?"

"Medicine."

"Caffeine."

"Sleep is for the weak."

"Seth's snoring."

"Hey!"

Lane shook her head, now that she was awake, she could not go back to sleep. She eyed the kettle, "so, is there something warm up for grabs?"

Keith walked to the dining table and perched on the corner, "help yourself."

Jack learnt over to Seth and Issac, whispering as he stroked the cat's fur, "has Keith mellowed out a little?"

There was a slow nod from both boys.

The cat on Keith's shoulders suddenly jumped across the table, launching themselves over the gap and landing on the counter next to Lane with the loud meow. Lane jumped, almost knocking over her mug, "Woah!"

"Rico!" Keith called, "no, down!"

"Your cats are called Rico and Nico?" Issac asked.

"Don't judge the beautiful creatures!" Jack defended, he started making kissing sounds as he rubbed the smaller cats chin.

The larger cat was closing in on Lane, eyes big and round. He stared up at the girl, knowing that she was in the need of some TLC. Lane gently patted his head, "what does he want?"

Keith knocked back the rest of his coffee, "he's a therapy cat, he knows when people are stressed or uncomfortable and wants to help them by giving them the attention and love they need."

Lane smiled down at the animal, running her fingers through Rico's thick brown fur. He was beautiful. It hit home a little; there was an animal back in London she had left behind after all. No matter what…. She wanted them back.

"Nico is one as well, but he's so vain he cares for nothing but his own pleasure."

The rest of the morning past slowly, the small gathering in the kitchen growing as the sun rose into the sky.

"Please tell me there is some food or something in here." Drake started going through as many of the cupboards much like Jack before him, Keith spared no energy in stopping him. After a few minutes, Drake slammed one of the cupboards shut and growled, "why the hell is the only thing you buy sweets, cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks?"

"How do you know what I buy?"

Drake's eyes narrowed, "you literally came through ASDA yesterday buying nothing that even resembled a vegetable!"

"Oh, that's true, I did." Keith lazily looked at Drake.

"You infuriate me!"

"And as I said before the feeling is oh so mutual!"

Beauregard suddenly appeared in the doorway, a dark aura surrounding him. Someone didn't get a good night's sleep. He frowned, "my threat of gushy feelings still stands, don't push me! I would much rather be asleep right now, but Drake… your voice carries, and it has woken pretty much everyone up."

The two fell silent, both raising their arms in surrender.

"Keith, food, what you got?"

Keith shrugged, "A bit of everything, but it's only me and my dad that live here so definitely not enough for all of us."

"You said something about shops?"

"Yeah, there's a Sainsbury's and B&Q in Guilford."

"We need a plan of action. We get food, we get other supplies, we move on."

"Move on?" Keith asked, "and go where exactly?"

"Anywhere."

"But it's fine here."

"It won't be forever."

"You don't know that."

"We can't say here Keith."

"Other people have families too. We have to make sure the others have the chance of finding out whether the people they love are still alive."

Drake hissed, "you don't have to come."

"Then I won't." Keith picked up Rico and stomped over to Jack before promptly snatching Nico. He reached the kitchen door and stopped, there was a moment he looked as if he was going to say something. Yet, he stopped himself and left the room silently.

"Drake, seriously?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Beauregard shook his head, "let's go make a battle plan, tomorrow is where the real hard work begins."

* * *

**So, this chapter was supposed to be updated straight after the previous as the last one was an April fools Jokes, but a lot of things got in the way. University is the big one, then university strikes, then COVID 19, which I hope you are all staying well and safe… and then my home life took a turn for the worse. I'm also no longer in contact with my proof-reader which really doesn't help and so there is likely to be more grammatical errors than normal, just everything is a bit of a mess.**

**This chapter is by far the one I hate the most so far. Hence, I actually cut it short by about 3000 words, I cut out so much useless shit because it wasn't important to the plot of the story, so that's why it feels a little abrupt here and there. Every character was supposed to be in this chapter, but due to the cuts…. Yeah sorry. I don't know what it is but I feel like this is the worst one I've written yet. And my mood doesn't really help. But, saying this, I love the next few chapters. I finally get to write about the characters kicking arse again!**

**So thanks for reading and hope you're all still around!**


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